


Hold on to your heart

by corsica



Category: Fate/Grand Order
Genre: Canon Compliant, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Fluff, Love Confessions, Mutual Pining, Non-Explicit Sex, also partially written to show off my sr and ssr servants like a proud parent, going into the implications that ritsuka had A Life before chaldea, going into the mental and emotional implications of being the savior of the human race, going into the mental and emotional implications of seeing brutal death constantly, gratuitous mana transfer scene, implied/referenced PTSD, karna is the perfect man: the fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-06
Updated: 2020-11-06
Packaged: 2021-03-09 04:21:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 22,043
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27398656
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/corsica/pseuds/corsica
Summary: Karna catches feelings and approaches them as the Hero of Charity does, while Ritsuka reconciles everything she's been through, including falling in love with her Servant.
Relationships: Female Fujimaru Ritsuka/Karna | Lancer, Fujimaru Ritsuka/Karna | Lancer of Red
Comments: 5
Kudos: 33





	Hold on to your heart

**Author's Note:**

> hello gamers
> 
> karna: is voiced by my favorite seiyuu, has my favorite character design, is drawn by my favorite fgo artist, and is a certified good boy, so when he spooked me during the gotterdammerrung banner when i was rolling for blue eyes white saber i fell in love. forgive me father for i have fallen for another twink, and so help me i will fill this pairing tag all by myself if i must
> 
> also i haven't read the mahabharata (yet) so there's extremely limited reference to it and mostly just takes from karna's characterization in both CCC and fgo; it's an absolute shame that fgo doesn't have his sick dunks like CCC does, where every time he opens his mouth near jinako he just accidentally obliterates her
> 
> this takes place sometime during part 1, probably a while after america but before camelot, but i sure as shit didn't know that for a while during the writing process so romani is not actually here. just pretend he's off camera the whole time. karna was summoned to chaldea way before the american singularity here even though you can only get him from the story gacha after you complete it but just ignore that
> 
> & finally i wrote this in a week and a half during a hyperfixation trance so this is one of the most self indulgent things i've ever written in my life. i hope you like the word "soft" and variations thereof because you're going to be seeing it a lot.

Material gathering was a tedious, but necessary, chore, but a chore nonetheless. A not-insignificant amount of Servants tended made themselves scarce when Ritsuka needed to make runs, not seeing it as worth the time or energy, but there were, at least, those who were always happy to help.

“Of course,” Karna had responded when Ritsuka had asked for him to join the rayshift.

“Ah, thank you! You're the only Servant I've been able to find so far! Anybody else I was looking for must've shifted into spirit form,” She had stood on her toes, hugging him in gratitude, which was met with a response of awkward hover hands before she had pulled away too quickly for any other reaction, “We'll be heading to Orleans, so let me go find Jeanne—she always loves going back to France. I promise it won't take too long!”

She had given him a wave as she darted off, the encounter ending with Karna still able to feel her arms around him.

It had been happening more often lately.

Ritsuka was generally a physical person, and tended to get touchy with most people. Handshakes, hugs, high fives—they were all very common with her, and he was more or less used to it at this point. But as of late, whenever she removed her hands, a strange emptiness took hold.

He didn't know what to make of it.

Combat took his mind off of it, thankfully; he was too focused on eliminating hostiles as swiftly and efficiently as possible. In Orleans especially, there was no shortage of wyverns and dragons for him to spear through. Getting the materials had been the more time-consuming issue, as opposed to actually clearing the area.

Everything they needed, though, was gathered within twenty minutes tops; all that was left was to see if there was anything in the nearby village worth getting, and filling up on general supplies, but there was a...holdup.

Jeanne sat on a tree stump, her face flushed with embarrassment as Ritsuka used her fingers to comb out the tangled mess her hair had become, “Master, please, you really don't have to do this.”

“How did that dragon snag your braid anyway?” she shook her head, “But regardless, you're telling me you've been at Chaldea for as long as you have been, and haven't gotten your hair French braided? You _are_ French,” Ritsuka rolled down the spare hair tie that had ridden up to her lower forearm back down to her wrist, “That's changing right now.”

Jeanne covered her face with her hands, cheeks pink, “I-I like to keep my style simple, that's all!”

“ _Hmmm. Didn't that hairstyle come out 400 years after her death?”_ Da Vinci's voice piped up over the communicator on Ritsuka's wrist.

“Okay, well,” she paused, “It's still going to look really cute.”

“I—I suppose it...would be nice to change things up once in a while,” Jeanne put her hand up to her mouth as she cleared her throat, “But only once in a while!”

“Of course, of course,” Ritsuka gave a small laugh, and then turned to look up and over at Karna, who sat patiently beneath the shade of a tree, “Karna, sorry about this! I promise it won't take too long!” she paused for a second and bit her lip, “Actually, could you come here and give me a hand?”

He stood and walked over to her, looking down at Jeanne's mass of hair, then back up at her, “I will do what I can to help, but I have to admit that this...isn't exactly my area of expertise.”

“Don't worry! I just need you to hold some of these strands for me; this is easier to do with an extra set of hands.”

“Understood.”

Ritsuka stood to Jeanne's left, her fingers deftly working through the Rapunzel-like hair Jeanne had, carefully handing segments to Karna for him to hold onto.

“Master, this seems...pretty complicated. Where'd you even learn to do this?” Jeanne's eyes flicked up to Ritsuka as she kept her head still.

“My, ah...” her voice got caught in her throat, prompting both servants to look at her with concern, “...one of my friends, in school, was going on a date with a boy she really liked and she wanted to impress him, so she begged me a couple days before she was supposed to see him to do her hair in this side-braid style for her because she couldn't get it right herself. So I watched a bunch of tutorial videos and practiced on her over and over again until I got it right. She posted pictures of her date online, and apparently got a lot of comments about how nice her hair looked, and when people started asking about it she went around telling everyone I was the one who did it for her. Girls in my class kept asking me to do their hair the same way after that. They paid me in snacks,” she laughed a little, but her eyes quickly went dull, “It was...still pretty fun, though.”

“Ah...I—.” Jeanne folded her hands in her lap tightly, “I-I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to remind you of...”

Ritsuka forced a smile, “N-No, it's fine, really! Just...motivates me to work harder...” her voice drifted off into a mumble, and her hand shook slightly as she took a segment of hair from Karna, who regarded her with a frown.

“Master...”

She wiped at her eyes, and gave him a bright, genuine smile, “I-I promise, I'm okay, really. Thank you, though.”

His gaze was still stuck on her, even as she began chatting normally with Jeanne again. Sunlight hit her at just the right angle for her eyes to look brighter than normal, to make her skin look glowing, and her hair brushed lightly against her face with the gentle breeze.

“...Mmm, my favorite time of year?”

Snapped out of his trance by Ritsuka's voice, he forced himself to look down and away from her.

“...I'm gonna be boring and say cherry blossom season,” she said, “It's only a couple of weeks every year so you really need to make the most of it. The weather in Orleans right now kind of reminds me of it, with how gorgeous it is outside. It'd be really nice to be able to see them bloom at least one more time. My p...” she went quiet for a moment, “My...parents...knew— _know—_ a couple of really good spots to go to where you can avoid tourists,” Ritsuka closed her eyes, taking in a deep breath, “Walking around watching the petals fall, having a picnic under the trees, eating hanami dango...I miss it. Hanami dango especially, it's the best seasonal food.”

“That does sound really nice...” he could hear Jeanne's smile as she spoke.

Karna handed her the last section of hair, and she tied off Jeanne's braid, stepping back to admire her work, “Whew, done. There's no mirror nearby but trust me, you look really cute.”

The side French braid Jeanne was now wearing ended well past her hips. She ran her fingers down it, her eyes large.

“Jeez, you really know how to do this!”

“I'm not going to lie, I was pretty rusty after a while after I got to Chaldea, but Marie was really, _really_ nice and let me practice on her,” a rosy tint colored her cheeks, and she rubbed the back of her neck bashfully when she looked at Karna, “Sorry about that, but thanks for the help. It was really nice of you.”

“I'm glad I could be of some use.”

Ritsuka pumped her hand in the air, “Alright! Let's get some 15th century French provisions!”

Karna followed at her heel, with Jeanne right behind him, humming as her hand ran up and down the braid.

The walk to the nearest town didn't take too long, but by the time they made it Ritsuka had already used a fair amount of mana, even just for two servants; Karna, however, was aware that neither he nor Jeanne were particularly frugal with the mana they required to perform—out of combat included. Even with the reserves from Chaldea taking up the bulk of the onus, it was still fairly taxing on her when on a longer trip, which this ended up being.

She was half-asleep while leaning against Karna, who stood between her and Jeanne as Jeanne spoke quick French to the vendor, pointing at several things and asking to see it closer.

“Master,” he nudged her gently, “If you're unable to make it back to the rayshift point, I can carry you there.”

She wore a confused expression on her face, but Karna's words startled her out of it. Ritsuka's cheeks turned red once she comprehended what he had said, and she shook her head.

“N-No, I'll be fine, I swear! I, um, I appreciate the offer...though...” she began to look around the area, as if she was trying to find something.

Eyes narrowing slightly in confusion at her strange behavior, he opened his mouth to ask if something was wrong, but Jeanne tapped his shoulder and drew away his attention.

“Do you think we could use that? It feels like somebody was asking for something like this, but I can't recall who...”

“Da Vinci would be able to find some use for it.”

“That's true. Okay, I'm—.”

She stopped speaking, her eyebrows furrowing.

“Karna, do you smell that?”

The shopkeeper gasped, and sharply pointed behind them.

“Smoke! There's smoke!”

Both servants pivoted to see a large plume of gray ash rising into the atmosphere, the smell of fire pungent, choking the air. Any people that were in the market area vacated quickly, their coughing becoming muffled as they entered their houses.

“Master—,” Jeanne looked to where Ritsuka was, or rather, had been, as the space next to Karna was completely empty, “Wh—Where did she go?!”

He didn't respond, instead beginning to sprint towards the source of the fire without waiting for Jeanne, but she managed to catch up to him quickly. A swift turn into a residential area gave them their answer, as a large crowd of people gathered near a house engulfed in flames to gawk at it.

They pushed through the crowd as they spoke a continuous loop of “excuse me” and “pardon me” until they finally came upon a man and a woman covered in ash and soot, looking on in abject horror.

The woman saw Jeanne and grabbed onto her, utterly frantic, “Please! My daughter is trapped inside! A girl ran in to try and save her, and she still hasn't come out!”

“She—,” Jeanne sounded terrified, “She _ran inside?!”_

Karna's eyes went wide as he stared at the burning house, and Jeanne's voice cut through the air.

“How long has she been in there?!” she cried out, before summoning her flag staff, “I'm getting her out of there!”

“Wait, ” Karna urged Jeanne to move back, and summoned his lance, swiping one long arc towards the engulfed building. The flames evaporated, as if a candle had been blown out, leaving a burnt husk of a house and a suffocating cloud of smoke hanging over the area.

Seconds after the fire was put out, the two made a mad dash towards the house, Jeanne bashing through the debris with the blunt end of her flag staff, and only went as far as the doorway before they heard the sound of a crying child.

“Oh...I was wondering why the fire suddenly went out...” Ritsuka spoke hoarsely, and coughed as she held a girl no older than four against her chest, “Um...I—I got her...”

Both were terribly singed, with parts of Ritsuka's uniform burnt away entirely. The belts around her torso had turned waxy in texture, looking partially melted, and her black tights stuck burned to her legs in the spots they hadn't been entirely torched through.

“Um...” she looked back and forth at the two of them, “...Can one of you...give her to her parents?”

“I—of course, here,” Jeanne held out her arms, and Ritsuka was shaking as she handed off the distressed girl, “Are—Are you going to be okay, Master?”

“Mmhmm...Sorry about...”

Ritsuka didn't finish her sentence, her body swaying, and she began to topple over. Karna quickly caught her in one arm before she could fall to the ash-covered floor.

“I've got her. You should take that girl back to her parents.”

Jeanne let out a large exhale, and nodded, turning around and walking back outside, where Karna could hear the sounds of the two parents outside nearly hyperventilating from relief.

He breathed out, slowly letting the relief wash over him, and knelt down on the floor to adjust and get a better hold on Ritsuka; his heart was racing.

“How severe are your burns?”

She closed her eyes, her head lolling against his chest, “I've had worse...I think my tights are fused to my legs, though.” she coughed, “Da Vinci is gonna be _so_ mad that I'm gonna need another uniform...this is like the third one I've gotten all messed up...” she hummed, and placed her hand gently near the gem on his chest, “Karna, you're so warm...”

“Master,” his eyes closed, “Why didn't you call for us?”

“Sorry...I smelled smoke and...wanted to know what was going on. I...I saw her parents trying to get back in, but—but there was too much debris in the way. Once I heard them say that their daughter was still trapped inside, I—.” her words trailed into a violent cough, and Karna tilted her up until she managed to stop, “I had to help her...I—I didn't know how much time I had...I managed to squeeze through the debris to get back inside...she was trapped in a corner blocked off by some—some fallen wood.”

He sighed, and tilted his head down, his forehead pressed against the top of her hair, “Please don't run headfirst into danger again without us. I can't afford to lose you, Master.”

Ritsuka weakly grabbed for his free hand, and used what energy she could to squeeze his fingers.

“Can't...promise that...” he saw her lips quirk up into a little smile, “But I'm...sorry that I...worried you...Karna...”

She passed out against him, her breathing somewhat shallow from the smoke inhalation, hand gone limp.

Gingerly, he placed his other arm under her legs and lifted her up, holding her close to his body. His grip on her tightened, his stomach turning itself into knots. As Karna stared down at her sleeping, soot-covered face, desperately not wanting to let her go, everything suddenly clicked into place for him.

 _Oh,_ he thought, as the realization dawned on him, _That's what it is._

***

He was terribly out of his element. The first thing he needed to do, he had realized, after trying far too long to sort things out on his own, was ask for help. There were remarkably few couples in Chaldea, though, and of the few there were, even less had what Karna would describe as a “conventional relationship”.

Rama was his first and most obvious choice, but at the mention of his wife, his eyes glazed over and he stared off into the middle distance, a cloud of depression hanging over him. His lack of response and sudden change in demeanor had Karna politely excusing himself after standing far too long in the awkward silence.

He was not particularly lucky with his second attempt.

“Ah...Gil and I aren't exactly...” Enkidu's hands fumbled together, “Rather, I don't think I can give you what you're looking for. I apologize.”

“I still appreciate the time you've given me,” Karna stared at them for a moment with sympathy in his eyes, “You must have incredible patience if you're able to deal with three of him.”

Enkidu responded with a chuckle, but even for Karna, the nervous cadence was hard to miss.

His third try went about the same.

“Son of Surya,” Sigurd began, shutting a book he had been reading and standing at full height, “While I'm flattered that you sought me out for advice, I'm afraid that the nature of my marriage does not fit with the end result you want,” he stared at Karna blankly, “as my wife shows her undying love and affection by stabbing me.”

Karna paused, tried to comprehend what Sigurd said, and then took a moment to eye him up and down.

“...You're in remarkably good shape for a wounded man.”

Sigurd closed his eyes and huffed out a laugh in response.

“It's not the ideal situation, but the mere ability to be with Brynhild is far more than I could ask for. However, what you're looking for seems more...mundane. And unfortunately, most of the Servants here have had an...intense romantic past, if they've had one at all.”

Karna closed his eyes, beginning to get somewhat exasperated, “There has to be someone here who fits the description.”

“Well,” Sigurd spoke slowly, “Though I don't know them too well, I've heard rumors about a Servant who may have what you're looking for.”

Karna stepped into the packed cafeteria, the smell of something savory grilling strong in the air. Servants and a few miscellaneous staff members sat, eating whatever Tamamo Cat was serving them today, and he scanned the room silently before finding who he needed to speak to.

He briefly locked eyes with Arjuna, who, unfortunately, sat across from Arash at the table directly over from the person he needed to speak to. He watched as his half-brother pretended to ignore him to the best of his ability. It was irrelevant—Arjuna could bear to tolerate his existence for a few minutes.

Karna weaved his way through the tables full of people, carefully trying not to jostle anyone, and sat down across from the person he needed to speak to. The reaction to his presence was both deep confusion and moderate-to-severe intimidation.

“Uh,” Emiya paused mid-bite of his food, eyes peering up at Karna; he slowly put down his silverware, as if moving too fast would make Karna snap and attack him, “Can I...help you?”

Out of the corner of his eye he could see Arjuna unsubtly stealing a look at him, visibly bewildered as to what he was doing, but Karna pressed onward.

“Yes, in fact. I've been looking for the help of somebody like you.”

Emiya only looked more confused.

“Someone like _me?_ ”

He nodded, “This is something I've been asking other Servants about, but I think I finally realized how to simplify what I'm trying to figure out.”

Emiya squinted, “...Okay?”

Piercing blue eyes stared seriously at Emiya, who only fell further into nervousness. Karna inhaled, exhaled, and tented his hands on the table in front of him.

“What...do girls like?”

He heard Arjuna audibly choke on his food, causing both himself and Emiya, as well as several people from surrounding tables, to look over in alarm. Arash panicked briefly, before passing him his own glass of water, which Arjuna quickly took and drank down.

Emiya turned back, any fear completely gone as he regarded Karna with nothing but pure amusement, “Er, I'm not sure if I'm the best person to ask about this.”

“The several people I've spoken to so far,” Karna sighed, “have all given me more or less the same answer. But I was told you had experience in...” he brought his hands up, making air-quotes, “...normal romantic relationships.”

Emiya rubbed the back of his neck, embarrassed, and Karna just barely heard Arjuna whispering to himself the words “what is _happening”._

“Uh, well, I mean, I guess. If this is about another Servant you should probably just...tell them? That you like them.”

Karna opened his mouth to speak, but said nothing instead, simply averting his gaze. The gears rapidly turned into place for Emiya.

“ _Oh._ Oh, okay. That makes more sense, then. We are, uh, relatively close in age and from around the same area, so...”

“Whatever happened to you before you became a Servant must've been terrible if it aged you as poorly as it did,” Karna said solemnly, and regarded Emiya with sympathy, “I hope things are better for you now.”

Emiya scowled, “I said _relatively_ close in age.”

He finished up eating not long after, gave a wave to Tamamo Cat, and beckoned Karna out of the cafeteria to follow him into the halls for a bit more privacy.

“...You are taking a bit of a risk, though. Master has quite a few, uh, suitors.”

“It's...troubling. I realize that how I feel about her is above my station,” Karna shook his head, “It doesn't matter—I'm not expecting reciprocation. I just want to show her how much she means to me.”

“You could just _tell_ her,” Emiya shrugged, “It's not like other servants haven't already. Kiyohime says so daily, I'm pretty sure. In mid-battle, even.”

Karna paused.

“I'm...not entirely confident in my ability to communicate it to her that way. What's the saying? ...Actions speak louder than words?”

“Well, I mean,” Emiya stopped walking, and turned towards Karna with his arms crossed over his chest, “I have a couple of ideas if you really wanna do this, but have you thought about what happens if she _actually_ returns your feelings?”

Karna shook his head, “I...don't anticipate that happening. As you said, she has many people vying for her attention already; my chances are slim, but more than that, they don't matter,” he closed his eyes, “What _I_ want is not important here.”

Emiya sighed, and pinched the bridge of his nose, “Alright. Well. How good are you at cooking?”

Karna opened his mouth to respond, but stopped, and looked away in a grimace.

***

“...Wow. Okay.”

The two stood motionless, watching the hypnotic spinning of a cup of instant noodles in the microwave.

Emiya turned to him, jabbing his thumb towards the microwave, “This is really it? This is all you can do?”

“For what it's worth, my previous Master never had any complaints about the quality.”

“Okay, well,” Emiya opened the microwave as it beeped, taking out the noodles before breaking a pair of disposable chopsticks to taste them, “They're uh, they're edible.”

Karna sighed, and leaned back against a nearby counter, “...I'm not sure how much worse it would be if they weren't.”

“I mean, making food isn't the end all be all of doing something nice for someone. You could just...compliment her, like a normal person,” Emiya set the cup of noodles down on a counter, and crossed his arms, “Girls like getting dressed up sometimes, Ritsuka included. Just say she looks pretty, or something: simple and direct. Even _you_ can't possibly mess that up.”

Karna stared at him, confused, “I'm not sure I understand. She always looks pretty.”

Emiya rubbed both his hands down his face, muffling the words “oh my _god”._

“You said you had a previous Master, right? Was it a girl?” Karna nodded, “Okay, what did you do for her?”

“I regularly forbade people from entering her personal room while she played video games for 16 straight hours. I'd also open soda bottles for her if the cap was on too tightly,” Karna smiled fondly, “I was very lucky to meet her.”

Emiya rubbed his hands down his face again.

“Just—keep complimenting her in mind, alright? Even if she doesn't get all dressed up, you can just _say_ that somebody looks nice and they'll appreciate it.”

Karna nodded, looking at Emiya with a determined expression on his face, “I understand,” His eyes wandered around the kitchen. “But...I would still like to make her something.”

“Okay, do you know _anything_ about working in a kitchen.”

“Don't put your hand on the burner.”

“Incredibly, I think that might apply to just about every Servant _except_ you, given that you're _the son of the Sun God._ ”

“Oh,” Karna put his hand to his chin in contemplation, “...You may be right about that.”

With a sigh, Emiya reached into a pantry to grab an apron hanging inside, tying it around his waist.

“Alright, well...I guess the best place to start is—do you know what Ritsuka's favorite food is?”

Karna tilted his head down, crossing his arms over his chest and closing his eyes in thought, “Though I can't say for certain if it's her favorite, a little while ago—during the rayshift to Orleans, where she came back burned—she mentioned the desire to eat hanami dango during cherry blossom season.”

“Ah, yeah,” Emiya smiled, and a wistful look appeared in his eye, “Yeah, that would be nice.”

Karna tilted his head slightly, curious, “You could gain something if you spoke to Master about your homesickness, especially given that she seems to feel the same way.”

Emiya snapped out of his trance, and gave a slow shake of his head, “No, it's fine. She has enough to deal with right now. Besides, it's not like we have a shortage of Servants from Japan for me to talk to about it,” he leaned down, and grabbed a large pot from a cupboard, “Hanami dango, okay. It's not _hard_ but it is a bit technical, so watch what I do carefully.”

Karna placed his hand on his chest and bowed his head, “I'm very thankful to receive your help; your past experience has given you great wisdom, in spite of what others apparently say.”

Emiya waved his hand dismissively, “Yeah, I know, now wash your hands,” his head snapped around, “Wait, what?”

***

It had taken a couple hours and a few attempts, plus Emiya getting sidetracked by Jack and Nursery Rhyme demanding their own portion of the sweets, _plus_ both of them needing to satisfy their curiosity by having Karna press his hand to a burner to see if it would actually hurt him—

(“...This seems like it might be a bad idea.”

“That's because it _is,”_ Emiya had said as they both looked at the glowing red burner, then back at each other, “Just do it, I know you're curious, too.”

Karna had resolved himself, committing to this genuinely terrible idea, and had placed his hand on the hot stove top, feeling nothing except a layer of grease.

“...Wow, really? Nothing?”

“No, I don't feel any pain, but I do feel...mild disgust.”)

—but he ended up with a plate with three sticks of decent, if somewhat misshapen, hanami dango.

“Congratulations,” Emiya had said once they had finally finished everything up, “You are now in the gradually increasing line of servants who are trying to court Ritsuka.”

He gave a soft tap to the door to Ritsuka's room before pressing two fingers to the button that opened it, his footsteps silent as he walked in, “Master, I—oh.”

Ritsuka was curled up into a ball on top of her covers, wearing a pair of earbuds, her breathing soft and even as she held on tightly to a pillow.

He stood for a moment, figuring out what to do, before he eyed the nightstand next to her bed. The plate clicked as he set it down near her alarm clock, and he rid himself of Kavacha and Kundala briefly to gingerly lay his cape over her slumbering form. Karna scanned her room for a moment, and spotted a pen and a pad of sticky notes on her nearby desk.  
  


_Master,_

_While it most likely doesn't measure up to the authentic kind, I hope this will at least provide you with some comfort of home._

_-Karna  
  
_

Looking down at her, he brushed her hair out of her face, tucking it behind her ear. The furrow she wore on her sleeping brow relaxed as his fingers touched her skin, a small noise of contentment coming from her in her sleep. As he dimmed the lights in her room, he took his leave just as silently as he came in.

Hours later, the sound of metal rang in his ears as he held his spear up to block a strike from Gram as he acted as a sparring partner for Sigurd. He prepared a counterattack, but Ritsuka's voice gently calling to him stopped him in his tracks.

“ _Karna? Um...could I talk to you? I'm in my room.”_

The subtle but sudden shift of cold calculation to surprise on Karna's face and his immense difference in body language was enough for Sigurd to notice, and pull away, dropping his offensive stance and lowering his sword as he stepped back from Karna.

“Is Master calling you?”

Karna nodded, his spear spinning and its base striking the floor before disappearing from his hand, “She is. Sorry. We'll have to finish this at another time.”

“Very well,” Sigurd's own armor shifted, the mask on his face glowing before turning back into a pair of glasses. He had a small smile on his face, “I wish you luck in your endeavors to win Master's heart, then.”

Karna's closed his eyes, and placed his hand on his chest, the _thump-thump_ of his heart vibrating against his fingertips.

“If my affection were to be returned, then I would be the luckiest Heroic Spirit there has ever been,” he opened his eyes, “For now, I just hope I can somehow provide her happiness.”

“I see that the title “Hero of Charity” is quite fitting for you,” Sigurd placed his hand on Karna's shoulder, “Really, I wish you well. She would be just as lucky to have someone who treats her as preciously as you do.”

The walk to Ritsuka's room was a short one, and he stood outside her door, hesitating for a moment, before knocking and alerting her to his presence. He heard a muffled “come in”, and then opened the door to go inside. She sat on the edge of her bed, his cape folded as neatly as it could be behind her. She fiddled with her hands as he made his way over to her, kneeling before her respectfully.

“You needed to see me, Master?”

“Y-Yeah, I, um,” her voice wobbled, “Could you sit down next to me?”

Karna tilted his head up, pausing momentarily to strip himself of the sharp armor on his upper body, as he always did before getting too close to a non-Servant, before moving to sit down next to her on the messy and unmade sheets of her bed. Ritsuka took in a deep breath.

“I don't even know how to start, um...” she laughed nervously, which trailed into a hiccup.

“Master, I know what I made most likely wasn't up to the quality that you usually have—.”

“Wh—Karna, it was _amazing,”_ she interrupted him, looking at his face with large and watery eyes, “It was like I was home again. There's no way I can thank you enough.”

He gave a sigh of relief, “That's good to hear” he locked eyes with her, “While I did have help preparing it, I consider it something I made with my own hands, and—.” he leaned back in surprise as tears began to streak down her face, “Master, you're crying...”

“I, um,” she wiped at her eyes with the sleeve of her uniform, “Sorry...well, it's just...one of the last memories I have before I came to Chaldea, like really, only a couple of months before...everything happened, I was with my parents watching the cherry blossoms bloom,” she laughed, “Remember what I said back in Orleans? They were usually pretty good at finding spots without a lot of tourists, but this past time they really messed up because there were _so_ many when we got there. At least we got some good dango.

“Eating that just took me right back, and...” she buried her face in her hands, hiding the tears streaming down her face; her voice cracked as she spoke, reaching higher in pitch, “I—I'm sorry, I just, I miss my parents so much. I miss everyone so much.”

“You'll be able to see your home again one day,” he said to her, his voice gentle, “I will do everything I can to help you reach it.”

She smiled at him, her eyes red-ringed and puffy, “You're all way too good to me, really,” resting her head on Karna's shoulder, her hand moved close enough to his that their pinkies touched, “It—It feels wrong, I've been at Chaldea so long, been through so much, I should be thinking of this place as home now. And it _is,_ but...”

“There is always a loyalty that rises above the rest,” he murmured, and placed his hand on top of hers in an attempt to comfort her.

The knuckles of her fingers touched against his palm as she curled them, before adjusting her hold and intertwining their fingers together. A relaxing warmth spread through his chest as he looked down at her smaller hand in his.

“I used to go on trips with my parents to the ocean sometimes,” her voice started softly, “I'd spend all day outside in the water and my dad would yell at me because I'd forget to put sunscreen on,” she smiled, her eyes closing, “And then when it would get late we'd watch the fireworks go off over the water before we went back to the hotel. My mom would wash all the sea salt out of my hair for me before we got in the hot springs, it always felt so nice...

“But...but now I—all I can think of is how I'm constantly at risk of being attacked. I have so many scars I stopped being able to keep track. I'm—I never feel 100% safe,” her eyes closed tighter, and she bit down on her lip once more, her voice becoming stuttered, “I...I can't even be safe when I _sleep._ The Count works so hard to protect my head from getting messed with, and he does an amazing job, but...but things can still slip through sometimes...”

Karna squeezed her hand, “What other things did you do with your parents?”

“It—It can't be that interesting to hear about, Karna,” Ritsuka laughed lightly,

“Chaldea is...diverse. I'd only ever seen one land up until my original death. To hear about places far-off that I've never seen...” Karna pulled away slightly, his normally piercing blue eyes going utterly besotted as he looked down at her, “...I'm sorry for this selfish request, but, if it's not too difficult to talk about, then I'd like to hear it.”

Ritsuka wiped away the last of her tears, and nodded.

“Okay,” the smile she gave him made his heart swell, “Thank you, Karna.”

She began to talk about her past, leaned up against his arm, her hand in his.

***

A while had passed since the moment he had shared with Ritsuka in her room. During the ensuing time afterward, her mood had improved greatly, and she had excitedly told any Servant who had made a comment about her shift in demeanor about what he had done. This had led to the somewhat predictable conclusion of Ritsuka getting inundated with specialty sweets, which she had been forced to share with other Servants due to the sheer amount she had received.

“...Oh...” he had passed by her one day when he saw her holding out some sort of packaged sweet roll towards Gilgamesh's Archer incarnation, “Does that mean you don't want it, then...?”

“Fool!” he'd barked at her as he had swiped it from her hand, “I never said that!”

“O-Okay, jeez...”

In the end, he was pleased that he had been successful in what he sought to do—even if it had the unintended side effect of her blood pressure temporarily raising precipitously from all the sugar she had been given to eat, earning her a firm lecture from Mash about proper eating habits.

There was still more he wanted to do for her, however, and he began to seek out Emiya again to see if he would be willing to help once more. Perhaps his actions wouldn't result in an unwanted domino effect this time.

“Yo, Master! Your new style is _Golden!_ C'mon, give us a twirl!”

He heard Kintoki before he saw him just down the hallway, and Ritsuka's laughter followed suit. She was wearing some outfit he'd never seen her in before: a simple, professional-looking white shirt with long sleeves and a blue bow around the collar, with a high-waisted, blue pleated skirt flaring out just above her knees.

“Thank you!” Ritsuka twirled around on her right foot, the skirt spinning with the motion, “Artoria gave it to me as a gift, she must've asked Da Vinci to make it. It's a new Mystic Code, too!” she had to jump up to meet his high-five to make up for the vast height difference, “If you need a huge boost in power during battle, this'll do the trick!”

Ritsuka did a double take as she saw Karna down the hallway. She said something indecipherable to Kintoki before he gave her a little salute and walked off, just as she dashed up to Karna.

“Heyo-Chal-Deluxe!”

He met her high-five as she ran towards him, the corner of his lips twitching up into a smile as they did their handshake, “Heyo-Chal-Deluxe.”

As their hands began to pull away, his eyes caught on several small bandages peppered on her fingers and palm. He wrapped his fingers around her wrist, and began to examine the injuries, unaware of Ritsuka's face beginning to turn red.

“K-Karna?”

“Master, what happened to your hands?” he let go of her hand, frowning, “Should you not speak to somebody about this?” Karna noticed her trying to hide her left hand behind her back, but he could see small, matching bandages placed in random spots on that hand as well.

“I'm fine, really! I should...probably see if somebody would heal it, though, considering people keep asking about it,” she met his gaze, “But it actually has to do with something I wanted to show you. Could you come back to my room with me?”

He nodded, and followed diligently at her heel.

“I wanted to repay you for making that dango for me. It really, really meant a lot to me,” she spoke as they made the walk towards her suite, “I know it ended with me almost becoming diabetic, but, well...I mean, it's not _your_ fault that a dozen snacks kept appearing at my door every day for a month after that.”

She punched in the code to unlock her room, and went inside, getting down her knees with an “oof” as she began to search for something under her bed.

“Anyway, I wanted to pay you back for what you did,” she reiterated, and grunted as she pulled a box out of the way; he began to open his mouth to respond, “And before you say anything, I know you're gonna tell me that you didn't expect to be repaid!” she turned and pointed up at him accusingly, and he shirked back slightly in surprise before she began to look under her bed some more, “But the fact that you went so out of your way just to make me feel better...it was really special to me. So I wanted to do something special for you, too, Karna. Ah, here we go. Wow, I need to stop shoving stuff under here to get it out of the way, I almost hid this from _myself.”_

She stood, holding something out, before her arms pulled in as she clutched it to her chest. Karna waited patiently for her to turn around, but could only notice the tips of her ears beginning to get more and more red.

“...?”

He saw her breathe in deeply, before she turned around with a sewn elephant plush doll in her hands, pushing it into his chest. The trunk was lumpy, and one ear was slightly bigger than the other, but it was recognizably an elephant.

“I-I remember from when we were all stuck on that deserted island that you really liked elephants, so I just...” she lowered her head, almost shamefully, her voice turning into a mumble, “The longer I stand here the sillier it feels. Sorry...I know it's...girly and kind of childish, but—.”

“I love it,” Karna spoke softly, her grip becoming loose as he gently took it from her, and he held it up, looking at it with a curious affection.

“Y...You do! Oh, wow, okay, I'm really glad,” she put her hand to her chest, and exhaled in relief.

“But the fact that you hurt your hands so much making this—.”

“It—It's okay! Hand sewing really is just like that, and it doesn't hurt that bad. I actually had to ask Emiya to help me. He got really exasperated for some reason,” she laughed weakly, “My stitching was pretty bad at first but he showed me the right way to do it.”

“I'm not sure what it is I did to deserve such a generous Master,” he touched at the small tusks with his index finger, a wistful look in his eye.

Ritsuka looked at him questioningly, “Karna, what's it like to ride one?”

He closed his eyes in thought.

“...For me, it's very calming. Others who are sensitive to heights can often find it more difficult.”

“Oh—Oh right, elephants are really tall, aren't they,” Ritsuka fumbled with her hands, “I would probably be too nervous to get on one, honestly.”

“They're gentle creatures,” Karna met her gaze with a smile, “If you ever wanted to ride one, I'd be more than happy to show you.”

“Ah, you'd probably have to share one with me, then! I don't know if I could be that high up by myself.”

He nodded, “I would be able to protect you from falling, then. I see...that would be a good idea were it to happen.”

Ritsuka moved back and forth on the balls of her feet, “Well, I guess if we ever need to go to India...I look forward to it, then!” she hummed, but shifted to mild panic when she saw the time on her alarm clock, _“Ah!_ I needed to be in the simulator with Mash five minutes ago! We were gonna run through some new tactics!”

“Do you want me to escort you?”

Her cheeks tinged red, “I wouldn't mind, but—but, I need to change into a different Mystic Code, so...”

Karna blinked, suddenly feeling somewhat embarrassed, “...Oh...Sorry, I'll get out of your way, then.”

“Sorry about that...” she ran her hands down her face, “I feel dumb for forgetting. But um,” she beamed at him, “I'm really glad you like it!”

He was momentarily taken in by just how brightly she smiled at him, and a tightness took hold of his heart, “I will never forget this feeling of happiness that you gave to me today. I hope your training with Mash goes well,” he clutched the stuffed elephant tighter, eyes scanning down her outfit as she crossed one of her legs behind the other, “...and Berserker was correct—about your new Mystic Code. It looks pretty on you.”

Her eyes went wide, red blossoming on her cheeks, “W-What—.”

Before she could properly respond, he turned on his heel, heading out the door of her room, back to his own.

There were very few personal items he owned, so he had little trouble moving a few things around, until he was able to set the elephant on a single shelf, all on its own, displaying it proudly.

***

It was getting to the point where other people were starting to take notice.

Walking by a Servant in the hallway was beginning to be met with increased comments of “Master's that way” or “Master is with someone else right now”. There was admittedly a slight embarrassment he felt whenever anything like that had been thrown his way.

“You know that Ritsuka is on a rayshift right now, correct?”

Artoria Alter's cold, yellow eyes had met his as she dug into her second hamburger.

“I know,” he had taken a bite of his food, “I need to speak to her about something as soon as she returns, so I was going to make my way to the command room once I finished eating,” he had looked at her, somewhat questioningly, “I've seen you wait outside the command room multiple times to welcome her back. Should I let her know that you want to see her when I talk to her, Saber?”

She had narrowed her eyes at him, her cheeks a slightly pink color as she had brought her hamburger up to her mouth to take a bite, grumbling something incoherently.

The comments were harmless, so any embarrassment was offset by the appreciation he held for the fact that he was not the only one keeping such a close eye on her.

He was sitting on his bed meditating when he heard a rhythmic tapping on the door to his room, which was...unusual, to say the least. While it wasn't out of the ordinary for _other_ Servants to actively seek each other out for something, he was typically left alone unless it was for anything combat-related; he usually only participated in something other than that when another person pulled him into it while he was outside his quarters.

Karna's eyes narrowed at his door, “...Hello?”

“Karnaaaaa~!” Astolfo's voice rang out in a sing-song tone, much too loud, “Master's back from material gathering in America~! I just thought you'd wanna know~.”

He closed his eyes, let out a deep breath, and was left wondering why he was even surprised.

That, as opposed to the random comments, was genuinely very embarrassing, particularly as he saw Astolfo looking at him with a large, toothy grin as he stepped out of his room, and particularly particularly because this was the fourth time he'd done this so far within a month.

“Ah-ha~! I was right, you did wanna know!” he crossed his arms, looking awfully proud of himself, “Sieg said to leave you be, but I knew better!”

“...It's appreciated, Astolfo,” he fixed Astolfo with an even, somewhat pained, look, “...But you must have better things to be doing right now.”

“Hm...nope, not really!”  
  
Astolfo had given him a big thumbs up and a “good luck!” as the two of them headed in opposite directions. The amount of servants in the hallway leading to the command room grew less in number, and as he almost arrived, he saw Medusa's Lancer incarnation coming towards him from out the room itself. She'd been taken with Ritsuka for the rayshift, apparently needing to stay behind afterwards for an unspecified reason.

“If you're looking for Master, she's not in there,” she spoke monotonously, pulling her hood down from her head as she stopped in the hallway to speak to him, “She seemed to be distracted as soon as we got there. Once we got back, she ran off and now no one can find her. It doesn't seem like she wants to be found right now.”

“I see,” he nodded, “Thanks.”

She shrugged, and continued walking.

He mulled over what she had told him. It wasn't as if Ritsuka was unsafe—there was no way for her to leave the facility without anyone knowing about it, and he knew that she would reach out to him if she needed him for something. Going back to his room and waiting would be the simpler, more effective choice, and he began to search Chaldea for her anyway.

Karna wasn't able to tell how long he'd been walking, but he felt a sense of apprehension as he started going into areas that were increasingly deserted or outright defunct. When he made a turn into a hallway he'd never been to before, he stood still, curious. Some of the lights in the ceiling had broken, and the large door at the end was closed, the words “SECTION C STAFF QUARTERS” written on it in large, black font. It struck him as odd, given how none of the other wings were closed off from each other. He hit the button to open it, and the door gave a groan, sticking in place for a moment, before it finally gave way.

It was extremely dark, save the soft light coming down from windows lined up high on the opposite wall. Empty rooms lined down the hall for staff members that were no longer there, a forlorn energy hanging in the air as his footsteps quietly resonated in the dark hallway.

The rooms eventually dead-ended into a wall, and Ritsuka sat against it, knees against her chest, head in her arms.

Karna brought himself to a slow stop in front of her as her head popped up out of her arms. The initial look on her face was annoyance, which shifted into surprise, which shifted into an expression so pained it caught him off-guard. She slowly lowered her head back down, obscuring her face as her forehead rested against her forearm.

He stayed standing for a moment before he came up to her, sitting cross-legged on the floor right beside her. Keeping almost perfectly still for a few minutes, Ritsuka finally began to shift, bringing her right hand down and reaching for his. He met her halfway and gave her hand a gentle squeeze when she took it.

“I found out about this place a while ago,” she began, her voice slightly muffled, “It's a good place to come when I want to be alone, because it's so secluded from everything else here, and most people don't want to...visit an area where dead people used to live. I actually managed to get into one of the rooms, the fourth one down...the mechanism that closes the door was jammed so it wasn't closed all the way and I managed to push the door open and um...” she shook her head slowly against her arm, “I really don't know what I was expecting, but it was just a normal suite. I didn't even know this person. But they—they had little knick knacks, and some pictures they had taken and...it was all personalized and I—I haven't...tried to get into any of the other rooms since.”

Karna ran his thumb against the smooth skin of her hand when she paused to let out a weak, defeated sigh.

“...I don't know if you know...but we did a rayshift to America today. To Montgomery, specifically,” she had begun to talk once more, “I don't really...like...going back to America. I don't really _like_ going back to any of the previous singularities, honestly...I go because it's the only way to get some really necessary materials, and it's usually not that bad but...” she sighed, “I—I really cherish all the bonds I've made with Servants I met in singularities—and out of them, obviously, but it's—having to go back, again and again and again, to places where I've had to watch those Servants die, usually in pretty gruesome ways...I thought I would get desensitized to it but all it does, every time, is remind me that my Servants aren't immortal,” she huffed out a little laugh, “Except Scáthach and Merlin,” the slight joy was cut very short, and she frowned, “And even though _shishou_ can't die she was still so horribly maimed...

“And on top of it all, if I—if I make one mistake, then everything I've worked for is over. There's seven _billion_ lives at stake in all of this, and if I fail _once,_ then add to the death toll the dozens of Servants who've sacrificed themselves to help me repair the singularities; they would've died for nothing,” she breathed out shakily, “This is some pressure.”

She brought her head up, and made a _thunk_ sound as she hit it against the back of the wall.

Karna faced her, “You're still new to being a mage, and a Master. It's incredible how you've managed to make it as far as you have without being seriously injured, or losing any of your Servants.”

She snorted, which morphed into a laugh, and she squeezed his hand while giving him a smile, “Karna, you're lucky I know you were trying to compliment me, because that came out sounding _real_ rough.”

“...I see,” he averted his eyes, “I'm sorry. It seems I still have more to learn when it comes to properly communicating.”

“I alright, I understood what you meant,” Her smile slowly slid off her lips, and she pressed her face back against her arm again, “But...I couldn't even save Olga Marie. Where am I getting the audacity to hope I don't fail when I already _did?”_ he could see Ritsuka gritting her teeth, “We were just starting to be friends, too, and...She—She didn't deserve that fate. _Nobody_ deserves that fate,” her hand turned into a fist, and she looked at him with tired, tired eyes, speaking just above a whisper, “Karna, I—I'm so scared I'm going to screw up and one of you will just be _gone._ Even if I re-summoned you, it wouldn't be the _you_ who knew me. I just...I don't want to lose anyone else...”

He gripped her hand snugly, “I shall do what I can to keep myself here, then,” Karna had a small, confident smile at his face, sounding just a touch smug, “You don't need to worry about me going anywhere, Master.”

Her body went rigid, and he watched as her eyes gradually grew wide and horrified. Ritsuka tore her gaze away from him and tightly shut her eyes, lowering her head back down into her arm, most of her face obscured and covered in shadow. Evidently, that had been the wrong thing to say.

“K—Karna—.”

He could see her bite her bottom lip hard enough to draw blood, and her body began to shake.

“I...” he drew back from her, “I've said something wrong,” Karna let go of her hand, and began to stand up, closing his eyes and turning his head away, ashamed, “I'm sorry—I was even told you didn't want to be found, but I refused to listen. I'll leave you alone.”

Karna turned his back to her as he began to leave the way he came, planning to give her the solitude she seemed to desire, feeling deeply foolish that he had bothered to disturb her in the first place in spite of everything he was told. He made it about twelve paces before he heard rapid footsteps squeaking against the floor behind him, feeling himself yanked back slightly. Two arms had circled his waist, stopping him from moving any further, and he felt a weight against his back.

“...sorry,” her hold became more firm, “...please don't go.”

An exhale, long and relieved, escaped from him as he placed his hand on hers.

“...Understood.”

Her arms went slack as he rounded in her grip to face her, and he leaned down to wrap his arms around her back, cradling her head to his chest. She let out a weak, shuddering sigh, and moved her hands to hold onto his shoulders from behind. He could feel her move to press her ear as close as she could to his heart.

“You're so comfortable...” her eyes shut, “I'm—I'm...sorry about...all of this...”

“There's nothing you need to apologize for,” he buried his face in her hair, “Take whatever time you need.”

The black of his hand stood out against the stark white of her uniform as he rubbed up and down her back, soothing her as best he could, before he began to feel her hold on his shoulders go lax. Reluctantly, she pulled away entirely, taking in several deep breaths.

“Um...” She pushed some of her hair behind her ear, “Could you...walk me back to my room?”

He nodded, and felt his heart flutter as she finally smiled at him, just a little bit. She stood on her toes, fingertips lightly resting against his chest, and kissed him on the cheek.

“Thank you, Karna,” her cheeks were slightly flushed as she looked down at her hands, “I—I hope that wasn't inappropriate.”

“No,” he could still feel the warmth of her lips against his skin, “...It felt nice.”

The door groaned once more as it opened to the other side, but she stopped before she stepped out too far, hand against the door frame. She gave one last, sad look into the hallway full of rooms that should've been in use.

“I hope we manage to get back the people who should be here. One day, maybe...”

She lingered, before he led her away with a gentle hand. As he walked at her heel, back to her suite, nobody they passed by was surprised.

***

He'd happened by Da Vinci's workshop and had been called in by her to help with something that took far longer than it should have, the afternoon turning to night. It had mostly involved holding something up and handing tools that Da Vinci had to describe rather than name.

“Can you hand me the ratchet?” She had said, tongue poking out of the corner of her mouth as she screwed something in.

Karna had looked at the frankly absurd amount of tools laid out, and recognized a wrench, a hammer, and what had seemed like ten thousand different screwdriver sizes.

“...Which one...is that?”

“Long stick with a circle on the end that has a little metal thingy sticking out of it,” her eyes had darted to him briefly, “It looks like you could really knock someone's eye out with it?”

“Oh,” he had handed it to her, “Here.”

He lost track of time, but after helping her move it to a different table, he heard her wipe her hands together.

“Whew, that took a while,” she wiped her forehead with her forearm as she held a wrench in her hand, “Helpful as always, Karna!” she tapped the whatever it was she had been working on with her wrench, “Hopefully this should be done by tomorrow, then.”

“I'll be taking my leave now, then, unless there's something else.”

“Nope, you're free to go! But, hmm, I think there was somebody in the cafeteria who wanted to see you,” Da Vinci winked at him, “so make sure you stop by!”

The lights in the hallways were dimmed, his footsteps quiet as he walked into the cafeteria, eyes narrowing briefly. Somebody was hunched over at a table, looking at a tablet, knees pulled to their chest under some sort of long piece of fluffy clothing, and had a hood pulled over their head with bear ears flopping down slightly from the top. A tuft of orange hair helped identify them.

“Master?”

Ritsuka looked up, the light from the tablet screen reflected in her eyes, “Oh, Karna.”

He walked towards her, “Why are you here by yourself so late?”

“Ah, I'm...” she pulled the hood closer around her face before wrapping her arms around her knees, “The heating in my room is busted, and it's way too cold for me to do _anything_ in, so I've been killing time waiting on Mash to get back from the command room to see if she'll let me sleep in her room.” she shivered, and looked around, “It's not really much warmer in here, though, especially when it's all dark and empty like this. Da Vinci's been working on it all day but there's been some issue with replacement parts?” Ritsuka shrugged, “At least she said she'd be done tomorrow at the latest.”

“So that's what she was working on,” He murmured, and sat down next to her, “Does Mash have a spare bed in her room?”

“Oh, not at all. But I can sleep on the floor, it's no big deal.”

Karna stared at her evenly, “...It...seems like there should be a better solution than that.”

“It's fine, I've slept in way worse conditions, anyway. America especially was _awful,_ I was in the dirt practically every night because of how much traveling we had to do. And it—.” There was a haunting look in her eye, and she looked away, her breath coming out stuttered, “I mean, it was bad for other reasons too, but...”

She brought the hood down from around her head. Her hair was slightly frizzy, and her cheeks as well as the tip of her nose were bright red. He touched two fingers to her cheek, and frowned.

“You're freezing.”

“I was also hoping to scare Mash by putting my hands on the back of her neck but it's getting to the point where I kind of just want to huddle up under a pile of blankets instead. I know she's all resistant to cold but with how absolutely frigid my hands are it probably still would've surprised her,” she tugged at the fuzzy robe, the visage of a bear's head printed in the middle, “This is the warmest thing I own, which is honestly pretty sad considering I've been here so long, but I didn't really expect my heating to mess up, and...well. Seeing how things break around here all the time, that was pretty short-sighted of me,” he could hear her teeth chattering from the cold as she rubbed her hands together, “Nnh, my hands are so cold it hurts.”

He said nothing and simply took her hands in his, bringing them close to his body. Karna breathed in deeply and exhaled, an air of warmth surrounding her. Her tablet sitting on the table went into sleep mode just as her face began to turn an incandescent shade of red.

“You should know by now that I run warm,” he met her eyes, still keeping her hands in his, “If you're not able to sleep in your own bed, you can have mine.”

“I—I-I-I-I don't want to put you out,” she lowered her head, her bangs obscuring her eyes, “You still need to keep your energy up, too! I—I don't want you getting hurt in battle because I kept you from being in top shape!”

“...I don't think I've ever been seriously injured in a battle with you,” Ritsuka looked at him with that same haunted expression, and his eyes narrowed in slight confusion, “Master...?”

“It—It's nothing, I—I just, I don't want to...put you out...” she repeated.

“My comfort has no meaning next to yours,” he squeezed her hands, his lips curling up in a small smile, “I have little issue with you using me to keep warm.”

Ritsuka's hands trembled, and it took her a moment before she nodded.

“...okay,” her voice was small, “...I'm getting pretty tired anyway...”

She stood, and Karna was only just now able to see the thick gray socks on she had on, ostensibly going up to her thighs. The long bear pullover ended just above her knees, and her fingertips just barely stuck out from the sleeves.

“Oh,” his head tilted slightly in his enamored gaze, “That's cute.”

Ritsuka pulled the hood up and hid her burning face as best as she could.

Before heading to Karna's quarters, she ran into her room, literally, and plugged her tablet back in before running back out, teeth chattering again, rubbing her hands together in front of her chest.

“Ghhh, it's only getting colder in there.”

“Stand closer to me,” he said quietly, and offered her his hand, “Here.”

She took it, hesitantly, and stayed glued to his side until they were in his room.

“Ohh it feels so much nicer in here,” Ritsuka took down her hood, “I can feel my toes again,” She spotted the stuffed elephant she had made for him sitting on a shelf by itself, “Oh! Wow, you gave it its own display shelf and everything.”

“It's important to me.”

She looked at it, and then back at Karna, her cheeks a shade pink, “I—I'm really happy you liked it so much. B-But, um...I'm really sorry to be intruding like this...it feels like I'm pushing you out of your own space. I know you're my Servant but I want you all to be comfortable, too,” She stared down at his neatly made bed, “Besides, I don't even know if the beds they give us are big enough for two people...”

“You're fairly small, so I doubt it'll be too difficult.”

She seethed, “I am _not_ that short.”

Karna's eyes scanned down to her feet, then back up to her face. He didn't say anything for an entirely too long amount of time.

“...Have the parameters for average height changed since my time?”

“158 centimeters is _perfectly_ _average.”_

Karna paused.

“...I see.”

As he moved to make adjustments for the inclusion of a second person, his eyes flicked up to Ritsuka to see her undoing her ponytail and removing the long bear pullover. She was wearing the shortest black shorts he had ever seen on another person that had a strip of skin between it and her socks, and a faded and worn blue tank top that was currently riding up her stomach. He noticed himself staring, his face becoming slightly flush, and he mentally chided himself for his disrespect as he looked away.

She held the pullover in her hand, “Uh, I guess I'll just...” she draped it over a nearby desk chair, “Sure?”

He took a moment before he looked at her again, and nodded.

They both fit without much issue, but it was still a bit snug. Ritsuka's fingers curled in slightly before she placed her hands against Karna's chest, her head resting against his collarbone. He pressed his face against her hair, breathing in the distilled fragrance of what must've been the conditioner she had used in her morning shower.

“The metal on your chest is flatter than it looks...It's not poking me or anything at all...” Ritsuka sighed, tracing her finger around the embedded red gem, before startling and pulling back, “I—I'm sorry, I probably shouldn't be doing that.”

“No, I don't mind.”

She hesitated, before continuing to run her finger around it once more, “You're like a furnace, it's feels so nice...” she stopped suddenly, and he could feel her breath hitch against his skin as she placed her palm flat against the jewel, “Karna...you...you don't know what happened in the American singularity, do you?”

“Queen Medb was taking over America with Cú Chulainn Alter as her top soldier, only to be stopped,” he paused for a moment, “I don't know anything beyond that.”

“...I see...”

“Is there something I should know about it, specifically?”

She let out a strained breath, and shook her head. Karna could feel as her pulse became somewhat erratic.

“Not right now. Maybe another time.”

“...Whatever happened during that specific singularity seemed especially stressful for you,” he pushed her hair behind her ear, “Please let me know if it's something that I can help you with.”

She didn't respond immediately, as she shifted to press her forehead against his collarbone, her fingers holding onto his shoulders.

“Why are you so—.” her voice became quieter, “Why are you so sweet to me?”

“...I'm your Servant. It's my duty.”

“Jalter would never do this,” she snorted, and loosened her grip on his shoulders, “But...there are Servants that are generally nice to me, but even they wouldn't go out of their way to do things like this unless I specifically ordered them to,” she paused, “Except Astolfo.”

Karna found himself immediately agreeing, “Except Astolfo.”

“And he's not as warm as you are,” she teased, letting out a light chuckle before it slipped into a sigh, “So I just...I want to know...is that really all it is...? Is it really just our Master-Servant bond?”

He opened his eyes, and pulled back to see her looking at him expectantly with her large, pretty eyes; he struggled to settle on an answer that wasn't either damning or a total lie.

“...The answer is...somewhat complicated,” he finally managed to get out.

She tilted her head up more, her gaze curious, and his heartbeat thundered in his ears. He could see a light flush on her cheeks, hair framing her face prettily, her lips slightly parted. It would've been the easiest thing in the world to lean his head down and kiss her.

“Karna...”

He steeled himself, and pressed his lips against her forehead, forcing himself to pull back before he lingered too long. He could feel her physically deflate against him.

“You should get some sleep.”

Her right hand trailed down his arm, leaving feather-light touches, until her fingers wrapped around his left hand. He breathed in, and clutched her smaller hand firmly in his.

“Karna, I'm...” she cut herself off, tucking her head under his chin, “Thank you.”

“Goodnight, Master.”

Her hand went limp only a few minutes later, and he carefully wrapped his left arm around her, his palm pressed to the middle of her back as he held her flush against him. He buried his face in her neck and squeezed his eyes shut as the fabric of her shirt became taut and twisted in his fingers. The ache in his chest was unbearable.

“I hope,” he said in a murmur as he pulled away, “one day, you'll finally understand just how much you mean to me.”

***

“I need to go to Okeanos later today,” she had said at lunch, licking the ice cream off of the plastic spoon she had been using, “It should be pretty quick, so I think it'll probably just be you and me if that's alright?”

“I have no problem with that. Let me know what time to be prepared for,” he had paused, “You've got ice cream on your chin.”

She had exclaimed “oh!” as she looked for a reflective surface to see where she needed to wipe off.

They met in the command room a few hours later, where Ritsuka had changed her Mystic Code into the one Artoria had given her, and he couldn't help the fondness that sneaked into his eyes as he watched her speak inaudibly to the people setting things up.

“Okay, so, hopefully this won't take longer than twenty minutes,” she said as she got into her coffin, “But quick and easy is nice sometimes!"

The rayshift had not been quick and easy.

Their input coordinates had been entered incorrectly, but at least they landed on a small bay in an archipelago as opposed to right in the middle of the ocean. Her arrival hadn't been any smoother, as she'd been sent hurtling to the ground, grunting in pain as she rolled across the dirt only to smack chest-first against the base of a tree.

She curled in on herself, coughing as she got back the breath that was knocked out of her.

“ _Nnnh...”_

“Master—.” Karna materialized out of his spirit form, leaning down to ease her back, but jerked away as if he'd been struck when she winced as he touched her.

“G-Gimme a second, I...” she took several deep breaths, slowly relaxing out of the fetal position she was in, groaning in pain as she rolled onto her back, “I—I'm okay.”

“...I have my doubts about that.”

Cautiously, he put his arm under her back, helping to lift her onto her feet, but a whimper came out of her the second she put pressure on her right foot, and she shifted all her weight onto Karna.

“I-I think my ankle got twisted when I got thrown down. I don't think it's broken—I can't believe it's not broken,” she let out a frustrated noise, “This was supposed to be easy!”

“Here,” he placed his other arm under the bend of her knees, carrying her as if she weighed nothing, “Are you hurt anywhere else?”

“My chest hurts...I hit that tree pretty hard, but I don't think I have anything disabling besides my foot. I'm gonna have some nasty bruises later,” she brought her left arm up, and tapped the communicator on her wrist, but there was no response, “Of course. And on top of _everything,_ it's dark out.”

Karna blew a short breath, and a small flame hovered beside his head, allowing her to see at least a minimal distance.

“Hopefully that will help,” he scanned the area, eyes narrowing, “But it seems your rough landing disturbed something.”

There was a rustling in the leaves, silhouettes beginning to become clearer to him. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a glow, and he looked down to see the magic circuits in Ritsuka's hand light up.

“I—I know I can't do much, but I can at least empower you,” she smiled sadly, “I'm sorry. You can't even use your lance right now...”

His grip on her tightened, “It isn't your fault you were injured,” his eyes narrowed as he watched more and more enemies come out of the woodwork, to the point where he stopped being able to keep track, “And you need to preserve your energy; I can feel that my mana connection to Chaldea has been cut off,” He shed all his armor; the amount of mana necessary to keep it on for an extended period of time was far too costly at the moment.

The circuits on her hands dimmed, and she rubbed her face, “...We really can't catch a break, can we...”

Karna only heard half of what she said; the sounds of dozens of enemies beginning to encircle them was what all his attention was focused on. With Ritsuka injured, and his mana too limited to use much of, escape was their only option.

“Hang on tightly. I'm going to get you out of here.”

She nodded, gripping around his neck as he placed his hand on his face, his right eye glowing as it peeked out between the spaces of his fingers.

The flame near his head went out, being replaced by the glint of Brahmastra.

A high pitched shriek faded into an explosion as he cleared an arc of what he could now identify as dragon tooth warriors. Putting his arm back under her knees, Ritsuka held on tightly around his neck, the air in her lungs leaving her as as he darted through the jungle. Shambling skeletal footsteps stomped in pursuit of them as more enemies erupted out of the dirt, bones grasping onto the soil and pulling themselves out to instinctively follow them.

Ritsuka gasped as several arrows whizzed past his head, landing in a nearby tree in front of him, and Karna merely ducked down lower, pulling her tighter to his body. As he hit a dead end at a cliff, Ritsuka letting out a little yelp as he casually turned to avoid another arrow coming at him, he scanned the area to see what his options were, and determined that going down was the only way forward. The drop was decently steep, but it would have to do.

She squeezed her eyes shut and hung onto him for dear life as he jumped down, grunting a little as he landed on his feet. He could feel her tapping on his shoulder, and she pointed to a rock formation behind him that was hidden by vines and shrubbery. There was a hole that seemed big enough for them to fit through, and the spot itself looked deep enough to hold both of them. He nodded, leaving no footprints as he took off towards the small cavern.

Ritsuka pushed the foliage out of the way as they took shelter in the makeshift hiding spot, pressed against the back in the deep shadows. Sounds of rattling footsteps grew louder. Several jumped down to in front of where they were hiding, and Ritsuka held her breath, clutching tighter to Karna, as they waited for them to pass. It was several minutes of sitting silently on edge, but eventually, they were finally left alone.

“Oh...” Ritsuka exhaled shakily, “Thank you...”

She took a few deep breaths, and he watched as she forced the fear off of her face.

Her large orange eyes focused on him, and she spoke barely above a whisper, “So. We're almost completely cut off from Chaldea...they're bound to reestablish contact, but we don't know how long that could take. This island is thick with awful skeleton men, and you can't properly fight or else you'll drain your mana, fast.”

“That seems to be the situation we're in...” Karna nodded, “It would make the most sense to stay hidden until the connection has been repaired. But this is frustrating...” he shut his eyes, “If I could just get enough mana, I wouldn't need much to get rid of however many of these things there are.”

Ritsuka went quiet, her entire body giving off nothing but nervousness.

Karna faced her, staring into her eyes with determination, “Master, there's no need to be scared. I _will_ protect you.”

“Karna...You just need mana,” she said the words slowly, “Right?”

He nodded, “Yes. There's many of them, but they all look...fairly weak; it would be easy to clear the whole island without trouble with just my lance alone.”

She went quiet once more, as if steeling herself to do something.

His eyebrows furrowed, his sharp blue eyes focusing on her apprehensive face, “...Is there something wrong?”

Ritsuka bit her lip, and eventually managed to look him in the eye.

“Please don't hate me for this.”

“What—.”

Her hands cupped his face as she brought their lips together. The shock Karna felt was immediate as he felt her mana beginning to pour into him.

Any restraint he was still desperately grasping onto slipped through his fingers like sand now that he knew just how soft her lips really were.

She pulled away from him, looking ashamed of herself, “Karna, I-I'm so sor—.”

Ritsuka gave a surprised sound that morphed into a small moan as he gripped her chin and pressed his lips against hers gently, coaxing her mouth open. She tasted sweet, wonderfully heady, and he took in a breath before he pushed in further for more. Another moan bubbled out from the back of her throat, and she tentatively reached her hands up, fingertips just barely touching the back of his hair as she cradled his face. In the very brief moments that he let Ritsuka break for air, quietly panting, her breath was warm against his skin before he caught her once more. As their lips met again and again, his thumb gently stroked the underside of her thigh, feeling the rough fabric of the tights she wore beneath her blue skirt.

He inhaled sharply through his nose as she whispered his name into the kiss, and he dipped her lower, fingers sinking into the back of her hair to hold her steady, to steal away her breath. Every time their lips broke she would moan as he took her again, drinking her in as he felt vitality surge through his body. Undoubtedly, he had taken far more than the amount she had planned to initially give, but as she tilted his head to allow him to kiss her deeper still, gasping out his name, it seemed that was the last thing on her mind.

When they finally pulled away for good, he rested his forehead against hers as he caught his breath, seeing the bright glow of Brahmastra reflected in her eyes.

“I believe,” his voice was low and soft, “that will suffice.”

“O-Oh,” her face matched the color of her hair as she stared at him, eyes wide, “I—I have plenty more I can spare.”

It was tempting, but no. There was work to be done.

“No, you need to save your energy for your own sake,” her fingers left his face, resting against the jewel on his chest; he let go of her knee, gently squeezing one of her petite hands, “Stay here. I'll return back as soon as I can.”

“O-Okay,” she reluctantly moved off of him, allowing him to slide out of the hiding spot, “S-Stay safe...”

He stood outside, giving her one last look, and he called his spear to hand before jumping up and out of Ritsuka's sight.

***

It took him all of ten minutes to clear the island. Ritsuka's mana had been _rejuvenating,_ to say the least.

The last dragon tooth warrior broke down into dust as he removed his lance from the ground it had been pinned to. It was still quite dark out, but at least there wasn't anything left that could kill Ritsuka.

“ _I've finished; I will return shortly. Are you hurt?”_

“ _No, I'm okay. I uh, I don't think any of them got near me.”_

“ _That was the idea,”_ he responded, a feeling of deep satisfaction settling within him.

He jumped from the cliff and landed in front of where Ritsuka was, spear vanishing from his hand. She gave him a little wave as he turned to look at her.

“Um, welcome back. I'm glad you're okay.”

He pushed aside the shrubbery, ducking his head down as he went into their hiding spot, his breath catching as she smiled sweetly at him. His fist opened into a flat palm, and a small flame floated between the two of them, allowing her to see him.

“Unless any of them have high ranking Presence Concealment, the island should be empty save the two of us,” he closed his eyes, and inhaled deeply, feeling his cheeks go a little warm, “...The amount of mana I received was more than enough.”

“W-Well, that's good,” her fingers twiddled together as she kept her eyes firmly fixed on them, “I, I wanted to make sure you got plenty.”

Insects chirping distantly filled the silence between them, and a breeze shook the leaves of the trees outside their small cavern. Bit by bit, she inched her way towards him until she was close enough for their legs to touch, and he took a deep breath as she tilted her head to lay on his shoulder. His heart was racing.

He needed to say something.

Karna curled his fingers into loose fists on his thighs. Communicating everything he'd been wanting her to know would be _impossible,_ but he would try anyway. She deserved that much.

“Master, I—.”

He was interrupted by Ritsuka leaning in to kiss him again. It was soft, and scared, and she pulled back quickly, too quickly for him to properly respond.

“O—Oh, I-I'm not...being presumptuous...am I?” she covered her mouth with her hand, hiding part of the flush on her cheeks, “I...I don't want you to think I'm—that I'm that kind of girl, I'm sorry...”

It seemed that actions were going to speak louder than words, then.

Silently, he turned, gently removing her hand from her face and carefully brushing her hair out of her eyes. Her cheeks were still deeply flushed as he cupped her head in his palms, delicately, as if she was something that would break if he wasn't extremely cautious. His lips pressed against her forehead, before he met her stare. The normally piercing blue of his eyes had turned tender, and adoring.

“K-Karna, I—.”

Whatever she wanted to say was cut off as he leaned down to kiss her, swallowing down the sound of her soft gasp and urging a tiny moan out instead.

Moving his left hand, he pulled her side ponytail out carefully, before he wrapped his arm around her back and took her into his lap. He held her like he had before, extending her legs and placing his arm under the gentle bend of her knees, a sense of deep relief settling through him as he felt her back where she was supposed to be. The small fire lit up the black of his hand as he trailed his fingers up her back, tangling them in the now loose strands of her hair. When she pulled away to breathe, he chased her lips down again immediately.

Ritsuka had an iron grip on his shoulders, trying and failing to hold back a soft whine as he pressed his mouth to the skin under her jaw, right below her ear. Karna let go of her legs to loosen her collar, the ribbon crumpling unceremoniously against her chest. His lips were methodical, meticulous, as he pressed them against the expanse of her neck, almost as if he was trying to map out every little detail of her that he could. Ritsuka's hand slapped up to cover her already tightly closed lips, trying to stifle the moan that came out of her as he left an indent of his teeth on the side of her neck. He kissed against the mark, lingering on it, before he folded back the fabric of her collar to sink his teeth in on the other side.

Karna placed his hand back on her leg, and he felt her gasp and shudder as his fingers accidentally brushed the back of her knee. As he kept his lips attached to her neck, he slowly half-opened his unfocused, hazy eyes to look down as he felt himself begin to glide his palm up the length of her thigh, watching as it disappeared under her skirt. His mouth moved to kiss against a pulse point; he felt the thump of her heartbeat hasten, and heard as her breath caught in her throat.

Two of his fingers toyed with the waistband of her tights, hesitating, before dipping his fingers beneath and tugging at the fabric, carefully, carefully pulling them down. He left a fleeting kiss against the hollow of her neck, drawing out sweet, soft moans as he kissed up her throat, back to her mouth. Fingertips pressed lightly against his cheek as he leaned in to give her one last kiss, urging her lips to part against his so he could taste her once more, before he finally pulled away to see her face. She was timid, her cheeks a soft red, and her lower lip quivered slightly as she refused to meet his eyes.

As he moved his hand from her hair to cup the side of her face, he turned her head towards him. He kissed her forehead, and waited patiently until she took in a large breath, and looked shyly into his deep blue eyes.

His thumb stroked against the blush on her cheek, and he realized that in this brief moment, he was not the son of Surya, nor Duryodhana's closest friend and ally, nor even a warrior or a Servant. He was a boy in love with a girl, and he wanted to make her feel good.

“K—Karna...?” his name came out faint, and breathy, from lips turned cherry red.

He pressed his forehead against hers, “Is this...” his eyes trailed down to the shape of his hand on her upper thigh, staying perfectly still under her skirt; with a deep inhale, he met her gaze again, “...alright?”

He waited patiently, once more, until she gave a tiny nod.

“...yes.” her face burned, “...please don't stop...”

Both his hands move, his left at her face to bring her in to kiss him after she let out an airy gasp, and he swallowed up the high pitched whine that came immediately after as a reward from his right. Her arms slid down from around his shoulders, and she pressed her trembling fingers against his chest, on either side of the red gem. He touched lips to her temple as she gave a quiet cry.

“K— _Karna_... _”_ her eyes were glassy as she looked at him, and he could feel the heat of her breath as she gasped his name, “I— _oh_...” she touched her palm to his face, “K—Karna, I lo—.”

She cut herself off with a broken moan, her hand still weakly against his pale cheek as she curled into him. He touched his lips to hers again, breathing in deeply through his nose as he kept a tight hold on her, and he began to go further. A sharp, surprised inhale came from her before it turned into a breathless moan. She reeled away from the kiss to try and cover her mouth as she let out a long, keening whine, but Karna swiftly pursued her down; his fingers, gentle, but firm, took her chin to turn her mouth towards his. Ritsuka's hands shook as she held onto his face, her eyes squeezed shut.

She whimpered once more, and Karna wrapped his arm around her back, fingers tangling within her hair as he pulled her close. Ritsuka's breath hitched as her arms moved to cling desperately to his shoulders, fingernails digging into his skin. He pressed his face into the crook of her neck, and simply felt as she held onto him.

“I—I'm...” he felt her broken whisper against his ear, “K-Karna, I—I can't...”

Tenderly, he kissed her, and gave her one last push.

The flame lighting up the hollow was a bright, intense flare, and it reached a fever pitch as Ritsuka cried his name out in the quiet of the night.

He broke the kiss slowly, his tongue darting out to lick his lips as she caught her breath. She was trembling against him, and finally managed to peek her eyes open just in time to see him casually flick his gaze over to hers as he licked his fingers clean. Her face turned boiling red as her eyes grew impossibly large, and she let out a distressed noise as she quickly averted her stare away from him, putting her hand over the bottom half of her face.

“Is it embarrassing?” he asked softly, bringing her hand away from her face, lightly kissing her palm.

She shook her head, keeping it down, physically unable to look at him for the time being, “J—J-Just, um, I-I-I didn't imagine it would go this way,” he released her hand as she lifted herself slightly to pull her tights back up. She held her arms snug against her chest, keeping her bright red face down.

“The rayshift?” he took her left hand once more and kissed the back before intertwining their fingers together.

“Well, y-yeah, that too, but...” she squeezed his hand, too flustered to finish her thought.

“...But...what?”

There was a beat, and Karna continued to stare at her.

“...oh you're really gonna make me have to say it aren't you,” she wrapped her arm around her waist tightly, her head tilting down so her hair covered her face, “I—I expected...something like this, with you, would've happened i—in ah, in my—my bed.”

He closed his eyes in thought. Ritsuka seemed as if she was trying to make herself disappear.

“...I see,” he gave her a nod, “That makes sense. Is there anything else?”

Ritsuka pressed her hand to her face, squeaking out “oh my _god”_ before she took a deep breath and gathered the courage to lean up and whisper something in his ear, pulling back to cover up the absolutely mortified look on her face.

Karna looked around the small area they were in as she physically tried to will her spirit to leave her body, “...I'm...not sure if the space is big enough for that, but I can try.”

“K—Karna. Karna,” She took in yet another deep breath, and placed her hand up, signaling for him to stop, her entire face beet red, “Y-You—You did plenty. It was...really good. But—But...um...w-whatever excess mana I had left, I just gave it to you. Your right eye has been glowing for a little while now...”

He put his hand over his eye, feeling a heat emanating against his fingertips. Karna turned to her, apologetic.

“That was irresponsible of me...I'm sorry, I wasn't trying to take any reserves you had left,” he gently took her hand in his once more, “You should get some rest. We still don't know how long it will be before Chaldea makes contact.”

She smiled at him tiredly, and brought their linked fingers together to kiss his knuckles.

“Okay,” she said quietly, and brought her free hand up to gently push his hair out of his eyes so she could properly look at him, and kiss him on the cheek, “Goodnight, Karna.”

Ritsuka sighed as she rested her head against the crook of his neck, and her breathing turned slow and deep in record time. He blew out the flame lighting up the hiding spot, and held her closely. Brahmastra's red glint shined in the darkness as he turned his gaze sharply out towards the open jungle, as if daring anything that could've been out there to come near them.

***

She had been asleep for roughly an hour before her communicator began to crackle to life, but in spite of how loud it was Ritsuka didn't stir even a little bit. It took a while, but the crackling eventually gave way to Da Vinci's voice.

“ _Hello, hello! Can you hear me, Ritsuka?”_ her proud voice was tinny through the connection, _“The genius Da Vinci-chan has finally managed to fix the technical problems we were having~!”_

“She's currently asleep right now. I've been cut off from Chaldea's mana supply, so she transferred all of her excess mana to me to allow me to rid the area of enemies.”

Da Vinci whistled, _“Damn, you really cleared out that whole place! Impressive work as always!”_ she hummed, _“Hm...she shouldn't have needed to give you all of it, though, especially since_ you _probably only needed to use the bare minimum to take those things out.”_

“...There was an unanticipated situation.”

He could almost hear her nodding, not believing what he'd said.

“ _Well! There's still some difficulty with getting you guys back, but for now you're at least connected to Chaldea's mana sources again, so if any more “unanticipated situations” happen, you won't need to siphon any from her,”_ he heard her clap her hands together, _“Alright! Sit tight and I'll let you know when we're ready to get you two back!”_

“Understood.”

She stayed asleep for a few more hours before her eyelids fluttered open, her orange eyes groggily meeting Karna's blue ones.

“Good morning.”

She leaned into him as he touched his lips to her forehead.

“Nnh...Are we still...?”

He nodded, “Da Vinci is working on getting us back. The sun is also starting to rise”

The pitch blackness outside had turned into a warm blue color as the sun began to peek out over the horizon. Looming shadows of trees, though indistinct, were visible. Ritsuka rubbed at her left eye, before turning to look out at the jungle.

“Ah...we should probably get out of here anyway. I think I need to stretch out my legs.”

“I agree.”

She crawled out in front of him, and he helped her to her feet once they were both out. Ritsuka put weight on her twisted ankle, and breathed a sigh of relief when there was no pain.

“That's good...I'll be able to walk now,” she touched her chest, and winced, “My chest is gonna be aching for a while if I don't get this looked at asap when we get back. At least my arms and legs don't hurt as much as they did.”

She gave a large yawn as she stretched her arms out above her head, her joints popping.

“But man, I must've slept for a long time,” she began to bring her arms down, before she felt the left side of her head, “Where's my hair tie...?”

Karna held up his right wrist, her frilly yellow scrunchie around it. She put her fingers over her mouth as she giggled, and graciously took it back from him when handed to her.

“Thank you.”

Ritsuka tied all of her hair up into a messy ponytail, trying to smooth it out with her fingers. Once satisfied, she looked at Karna, clapping her hands and rubbing them together.

“Alright! Well, we still have some time to kill, so...do you wanna go see the ocean or something?”

He nodded, looking in the direction of where the shore was with a slight smile, “That sounds nice.”

The jungle was dense, with a fair amount of craggy inclines and thick weeds, but the sun peeking through the trees made it easier to get through than it would've been in the dark last night. He caught her a few times before she could slip and fall, and at a particularly steep pass, Karna reached his hand out to help keep her steady. Ritsuka thanked him and took it graciously, before she intertwined their fingers, holding his hand in hers the rest of the time.

He pushed the brambles out of the way as they stepped onto the shore, and Ritsuka's eyes went wide, a quiet gasp coming out of her, as she took in the scenery. Sand that was a soft, pristine white led out to waves of perfectly clear blue that lapped at the shore, pulling the shells and rocks scattered on the shore into the water. A pink-blue sky met the ocean on the distant horizon, while a few, scattered, thin clouds lazily drifted by; one passed over the sun for just a brief moment, casting them in a light shadow. The sun itself left a long streak of light on the water, the waves glistening beautifully as they rolled up and down with the peaceful tide. Far off near the morning light, two seagulls circled around each other, their caws echoing in the sky, wings flapping until they flew too far towards the horizon to see, only the dull roar of the ocean to fill the silence.

Ritsuka's breath caught in her throat, and tears began to prickle at the corners of her eyes.

“Oh...it—it's beautiful...”

Karna gently led her until they were just before the shoreline, the tide just barely missing their toes. He turned to look at her, a few tears freely running down her cheeks.

“I came across this part of the shore while clearing the island last night. I imagine nothing could compare to the memories you have with your parents,” she met his gaze, “But I hope this at least comes close.”

“...It's, ah, i—it's not Yuigahama,” she laughed, then sniffed, as she wiped at her eyes, “But...But it is a pretty close second, yeah.”

They stood silently, fingers intertwined, listening to the sound of the ocean. A light beam from the sun brushed against her body, giving her skin a soft glow. She turned into him, and stood on her toes, her hand finding purchase on his chest as she kissed him chastely. His arm wrapped around the curve of her thin waist, and his lips found her forehead once more.

“Karna,” she spoke his name quietly, looking at him lovingly as he touched his forehead to hers, “I'm in l—.”

“ _Rayshift preparations complete!”_

Ritsuka yanked herself away from him, as if she had been caught, and slapped her hand over her mouth to stop the surprised squeak from coming out of her. Da Vinci's voice rang through her communicator, unable to ruin the mood more even if she tried.

“ _We're all set over here to bring you two back, unless there are anymore_ Unanticipated Situations _we should be worried about.”_

“No,” Karna responded immediately, his voice slightly strained, “We're fine any time.”

“I-I hear you too, Da Vinci!” her hair was brushed by a gentle breeze as she ended the call, and she pushed some loose strands behind her ear, “Well, guess I'll see you on the other side?”

“It seems so.”

She squeezed his hand, and he could feel his palm grow colder as they slowly let go of each other.

The two saw white, and Okeanos was left behind.

***

It was early evening in Chaldea by the time they returned.

His eyes opened, adjusting to the artificial light of the command room, and he watched as Mash ran up to Ritsuka the second she appeared, wrapping her in a tight hug that was quickly returned with the same vigor.

“Senpai! We were all so worried about you! When everything went down, it was just—.” she hugged Ritsuka tighter, “I'm just so glad you're okay!”

“It's good to see you too, Mash,” She squeezed Mash firmly, and made her yelp when she lifted her up off the ground a little bit.

“S-Senpai, please,” pulling back from the hug with her cheeks tinged pink, Mash turned to look at Karna, smiling gratefully, “Karna, I can't thank you enough for keeping her safe.”

Unsure of what to say in response, he simply nodded.

“Master, I'll be returning to my room to recuperate. You should do the same.”

“Okay,” with a smile on her face, she looked at him with a tender gaze, “Thank you for everything, Karna.”

He heard Mash begin to say something as he was walking out the door, their voices slightly muffled, “Senpai, why is the collar of your shirt so messed up?”

“Oh!” Ritsuka's voiced raised higher in pitch than it had been, “Um, it—uh, I—It's—a—listen, don't—don't even worry about it.”

He punched in the code to his room, and stepped inside the sterile, empty space. His gaze flicked up to the stuffed elephant on the shelf, and he closed his eyes momentarily before sitting down on the bed.

Whatever rest he got was limited at best, as he spent most of his time turning from one side, then the other, falling asleep for a moment only to wake through half-formed dreams, trying to reach out for a body that wasn't there. After the fourth time, and a solid twenty minutes of being awake, he resigned himself to not getting any sleep, and he sat up and turned to get out of bed. The nearby clock said it was half past nine.

“ _Can't sleep either?”_

He heard Ritsuka's voice echo in his head.

“ _...No. I can't.”_

“ _Come find me, then. We should probably talk.”_

He stepped out into the hallway, and followed the pull of his Master.

The halls were sparsely populated as he made his way towards Ritsuka, and he only passed by a few people, all of whom seemingly heading to turn in for the night. He slowed as he neared the area where the simulators were. Pausing, Karna stood in the large archway leading to them, eyes fixed on the one with red “OCCUPIED” text in the LED screen atop the door.

There was a four digit keypad keeping the door locked. Karna puzzled over this, briefly, before he entered the date for Ritsuka's birthday in, and it beeped to signal the correct code was input. He pressed the button to open it, and stepped inside before it quickly slid shut behind him.

He stood on a wide, gravel path, with cherry blossom trees lining both sides as far as he could see. The sky above was a hazy, evening orange, tinting the trees in a golden light. As petals fluttered to the ground, he watched as they faded away, only to be replaced by more. One landed on his hand, the color striking boldly against the black, before it too disappeared.

Karna looked back up, and began to walk.

False wind ruffled at his hair, the branches of the trees swaying in the simulation as he made his way down. Holograms of people became clearer and more solid as he went further onward. They walked along the path, opening their mouths as if they were talking, but no sounds came out. He neared towards a man riding a bike, who phased right through him, and two schoolgirls sat on a bench under the trees, one silently laughing at something the other was showing to her on her phone.

He squinted slightly as he saw the path's end, a calm river intersecting it. Off to the right, in the grass, Ritsuka stood, leaning her head against a cherry blossom tree as she stared at the river. She was wearing a black high school uniform that he had never seen her in before, the skirt ruffling gently in the breeze.

“This wasn't one of the places I ever went to with my parents,” she spoke up, and he stopped walking just a few feet from her, “I passed by this place a lot on my way to school, but I only ever went once, with my very first boyfriend. We were both first years and the relationship only lasted a couple of weeks but at least we stayed friends. He was a good guy,” she went quiet for a moment, “And...he's gone now. I keep...thinking back to people I used to know, and they're all gone. The lady who worked at the convenience store near my house, who always said hi to me whenever I went in after school, she's gone. That guy who was nice enough to win that stuffed cat for me from the UFO catcher after I was having so much trouble with it, he's gone...My two old neighbors, the conductor on the train I took once to my friend's house, the people I saw who passed by me on the street, every single person I've ever known is gone, as well as the six billion or so people I never met and never will. It doesn't feel real sometimes.”

She shifted, standing straight up and placing her right hand against the tree, “I tried to recreate this place as best as I could, but I know there are some details that are wrong, especially since I only really went one time. I don't think I made the river wide enough...the grass looks like the wrong shade of green...” her hand turned into a fist, “It's all just...slightly off. I thought adding people would help, but it just...made me realize they're gone, too. I just generated them mostly randomly but somebody, somewhere had to have looked like them, and that life isn't there anymore.

“I wanted to see it all again—I wanted to be back for just a little bit, and I've been trying to get it right for a while, but I still can't make a convincing enough copy to trick my brain into not being sad. Even if it wasn't a place from my memory, the trees themselves don't even feel the same, and the petals just disappear as soon as they hit the ground instead of making those big piles,” she kicked her leg out, and looked down, “Having this on just feels silly now, too. I don't know why I thought this would help bring me back. I guess I just wanted to pretend I was back in school again for a second.”

The simulated outfit faded, replaced by a snug, short sleeved pink pajama dress that could only charitably be called a “dress”, her smooth, bare legs leading down into plain slippers.

“I wanted to share this with you, but instead I just got...fed up I couldn't make it right, and got trapped in a memory instead,” she sighed, “I really wanted you to see it, too. I wanted it to be perfect, for you.”

She turned, angling her body towards him, her fingers just barely brushing against the trunk of the tree. The sunset behind her lit a halo around her form as she continued to stare out towards the river, until she turned her head to look at him. A light breeze ruffled her hair, loose strands brushing against her face as her eyes locked with his, wearing a teasing smile. As she stood, just a few short feet away from him, all he could think about was how breathtaking she looked, in all her resplendence.

“...Karna, I'm in love with you. I have been for a long, long time.”

There was tension that he had been holding in his shoulders the entire time, and with those words, it released.

“...Oh.”

Her gaze became distant, and she lolled her head slowly back towards the river.

“I know I'm rambling, but...everything has been...difficult, lately. I'd seen Servants die during the singularities, but a—after London...” she took in a deep breath, “Just about every Servant who had helped me during that singularity was killed by Solomon like it was nothing—Mordred only even survived because Anderson took a hit for her. And it just keeps getting worse and worse,” she laughed weakly, “Cú Alter is way better as an ally now, but you just don't forget that amount of bloodshed. And it's not like it's gotten any easier since. I'm just...” her shoulders began to shake, “I...I never wanted to know what a person looked like when the light left their eyes, but I do now, and that's something I can't un-know.”

Ritsuka's exhausted demeanor changed, a small smile tugging her lips up and her eyes going soft as she met his own.

“But you—Karna, you treat me so _well._ You're so _kind_ to me that it makes me have an easier time forgetting about all the, just...horrible things that are going on around me, helps me forget about all the people I've lost. I know most of my Servants treat me nicely, but you go out of your way to do things for me—not just me, but _everyone._ We went to France just to get wheat for Dr. Roman because he was out of bread and you wanted to help; who else does that?” she laughed gently, “It's like you're doing everything you can just to make my life a little better. This—This whole time I had,” her cheeks turned a soft pink as she turned her gaze down and away from him, “...I had been waiting for you to...take initiative, because I was scared that if I did anything you would just—you'd only respond out of a sense of obligation to indulge my feelings, just because I'm your Master.

“And there are already so many Servants here who would be willing to indulge me just because I'm their Master—just because I show them common decency, as a Master. And I don't...I don't want that. That's not fair to either of us, both as a Master-Servant pair and just to us as people in general,” her free hand came down as she began to fumble with the hem of her dress, “S—So, I just...I wanted to make sure that—that what happened last night, it wasn't b—what happened last night happened because you felt the same way and...not...not because you felt like you should have, or that you had to,” she lowered her head further down, and mumbled, “I just...I want to make sure we're on the same page.”

He stepped towards her, beginning to close the distance. The sun cast his long shadow against the grass.

“One day I'll get in the habit of being able to explain myself. I suppose now is a good time to start trying.”

She turned to fully face him, and he took one of her hands in his, kissing against her knuckles. He placed his palm against her cheek.

“...I have feelings for you, Ritsuka. I've only ever wanted you to be happy; the fact that I've been able to help you with this, in any way, is...more than I could have ever asked for.”

Her eyes widened as they looked at his.

“...oh...”

He tilted his head slightly to the side, “Would it be alright if I kissed you?”

Her face grew rapidly more pink, and she nodded, standing on the tips of her toes and lightly touching against his chest as Karna leaned down to meet her. The hand on her face moved to rest on the back of her head as their lips met innocently.

He pulled away, and wrapped his arms around her back, protective, pressing a kiss to the crown of her head.

“This simulation looks beautiful,” he held her tightly, “I've never seen anything like this before, but I understand now your desire to see them bloom in season again.”

“I'd love to take you to see the real thing sometime, if I can. Hopefully when this is all over, I'll be able to keep the contracts I've m—.” she went stiff against him, her voice becoming small, “...please stay with me.”

He placed his hand under her chin, tilting her head up and kissing her forehead.

“I will always stand by you as long as you'll have someone like me.”

She clutched the sides of his face and turned her head to kiss him again. His hand spread out against the small of her back as he felt her moan softly, her lips gently parting, and his thumb stroking her cheek as she pressed herself against him.

“I trust,” he began in an exhale once he finally pulled back, tongue swiping over his lips, “that you'll tell me to stop if you need me to.”

“I—I'm having...the opposite problem...right now...actually,” she smiled at him, her eyes filled with so much affection it made his heart swell, “Um, Karna, will—will you...c-come back to my room...with me?”

His eyes widened slightly, and she flushed all the way up to her ears as she looked to the side away from him, seemingly too embarrassed to acknowledge what she just asked for.

“...I'd be honored to,” His lips curled into a small smile, and he kissed the back of her hand.

He remained in spirit form after they left the simulator until she made it to her room, manifesting in full once the door was locked and she sat on her bed. He sat next to her, their thighs touching, and held out his hand. She took it gratefully, her entire body practically vibrating from nervousness.

“Ritsuka,” he spoke to her calmly as he squeezed her hand, “There's no need to force yourself.”

The breath she was holding in came out as a shaky sigh.

“I—I want to, with you, though.”

Karna's thumb ran back and forth against her own, “I see...”

He let go of her hand, pulling her side ponytail out and neatly placing the hair tie on her nightstand. Cupping her face, he leaned down to kiss her, slow and gentle, trying to ease her out of her tension. His hands moved down from her face to her waist, until they slid under her thighs, pulling her into his lap once more.

“I—I'm sorry, I'm really not...very experienced,” she looked down at her hands, clutching his shoulders, “Some Servants have made, um, offers, but...”

He held her head in his hands, and pressed his lips to her forehead.

“I don't have a problem with that,” he tilted his head, “If this is becoming too much for you, then I'm fine waiting until you're ready, even if you never are,” she moaned, small and soft, as he pressed his lips against the junction where her neck met her shoulder.

“I know you would, because you're way too good to me,” Ritsuka forced herself to meet his eyes, “But please be honest...do you...want...to do this?”

Karna's hand slid into the back of her hair as their foreheads tilted together, her breath against his lips.

“Yes,” he closed his eyes, and his voice became quieter, “If you don't mind, then...I'd like to take initiative.”

“Then,” in a gentle whisper, she asked, “Please, Karna?”

He laid her down in the middle of her bed, his fingertips running against her stomach and pushing up her dress as he shed what little remained of his armor.

***

He was thorough, fingers tracing every inch of her body with his lips following soon after. She was still trembling, terribly anxious, so he did what he could to relieve her of her tension, kissing along her collarbone to her shoulder, gently pressing his teeth in to her skin to try and pull her out of it. Her breath hitched, fingers threading into his hair as she felt the palm of his hand start to gently slide down her stomach, her skin prickling down the path his hand took. He placed an arm beneath her arched back as she began to react similarly to how she did in the cavern, breathlessly saying his name over and over. Her arms snapped around his back, clinging to him as she began to lose control of the volume of her voice, so he met their lips to drink in the noises she made.

The tension in her body started to loosen, so he gradually slowed down until he stopped completely. He kissed away the whine of disappointment that came from her, placing his hands on her waist, and sliding them down to hold onto her hips. She breathed softly as he kissed his way down her neck, past her chest, and against her stomach. He rubbed circles into her hipbones until he felt her nervousness ebb away, but her breathing picked up as he placed her legs over his shoulders.

“W-What—.”

She threw a hand over her mouth. He silently hoped no one was passing by her room at this moment, because she did not stifle herself well in the slightest.

“ _Oh—.”_

His fingers left indents on the soft skin of her thighs as he took his time to unravel her bit by bit, touch by touch, as if trying to commit every gasp and every plea to his memory. Every movement he did was deliberate, precise, and was always met with a quiet moan, or a whimper of his name. One of her hands twisted the sheets of her bed tightly, near her hip, gripping the fabric so hard it looked almost like it would tear, and he let go of one of her legs to hold her trembling hand in his, her fingers linking with his almost immediately. Although he knew she was too strong to break, he still wished to treat her with the tenderness she deserved.

He would let his actions speak louder than anything he could possibly say.

Karna opened his eyes, briefly, to see the muscles in her stomach start to quiver, and he squeezed her hand, his fingers pressing into her thigh more firmly. He could hear her trying to say his name, and failing, cut off by another moan or another whine that she attempted—and failed—to muffle behind her fingers. She finally succeeded, albeit brokenly, her voice cracking near the end of his name, as she arched her back and gripped his hand like a vice.

He pressed his lips to the smooth skin of her inner thigh and released her leg as he guided her through it, back down, rubbing circles into her hipbone. He brought their joined hands up, and kissed her knuckles, before he leaned over her once more.

Ritsuka blinked a few times, dazed, before she finally managed to look at him as properly as she could through hazy orange eyes, and she reached up to touch her palm to his face. He tilted his head to kiss against her hand.

“K—Karna, that—.”

He leaned down to kiss her forehead.

“...Should I keep going?”

She took in a deep breath, pushing his hair out of his eyes, and nodded, and he swallowed down the whimper she made as he pressed his mouth to hers.

His hand traced a line down to her shoulder, then to her waist, past her hip and finally to her thigh once more, silently pulling one of her legs up to wrap around his waist. She kept her leg where it was as he rubbed circles into her hipbone, looking at her quizzically as he pulled back from the kiss. Ritsuka couldn't meet his gaze, and he could feel her heartbeat begin to pick up, so he kissed her cheek, and tried to calm her anxiety as best he could as he squeezed her hand in his. It took her a moment, but she was finally able to look at him with her face flushed brightly, leaning up to softly press her lips to his, and gave him a tiny nod.

She was incredible.

Karna felt himself exhale as his arm went around her waist to pull her flush against him, his face buried in her neck as he felt her trembling.

“I—.” She gripped him tightly, her voice unsteady as she wrapped her other leg around his waist, and he could hear her smile as she said, “I love you, Karna.”

“Ritsuka,” he breathed her name against her skin, and his hand moved up her spine to tangle his fingers in her hair, “You mean so much to me.”

Time passed in a blur; keeping track was both impossible and irrelevant as she clung to him, either letting out a moan surrounding his name, or letting out a breathless stream of _“I love you I love you I love you”_ while he clutched her hand in his. He felt no pain as her nails scratched down his back, her breath coming out in a soft gasp, then turning into a series of whimpers as he sunk his teeth in her neck once, then again, and again, and again, thoroughly leaving his mark; he was certain that she had left her own on the white of his shoulders and back. He pressed his lips to a spot just under her jaw, hearing the little _“oh”_ that was drawn out of her, and mentally filed that away for another time.

She let go of his hand to thread her fingers through his hair, angling his head so she could kiss him better, and he noticed a strange look in her eyes when she pulled back. He let out a sharp gasp of surprise as she grabbed his head down, pressing her mouth to his like she was trying to take the air out of him, running her fingers through his hair and attempting to rid any possible space that was between the two of them.

Both panting for breath as they pulled apart, Ritsuka surged up, and their positions reversed.

“Ah—.”

She was leaning over him, and she pressed their lips together before grasping for both of his hands and linking their fingers. She was kissing him insistently, her breathing coming out harsh against his mouth when they broke off, only for a moment, before she pushed back in with the same fervor. Though his head was caught in a dense fog, he could feel that something was off, as a desperate edge seemed to take hold of her.

The feeling of water on his skin jarred his head out of the haze, and Ritsuka gradually began to still her momentum until she stopped entirely, gripping his hands so tightly it must've been hurting her.

He slowly blinked his eyes open, and she finally let loose the hold she had on his hands, letting her palms rest on either side of his head. Her hair fell over her face, and Karna reached up to push it out of the way, seeing her tears that were freely falling onto his skin.

“Ritsuka...?” he asked quietly.

Her hands turned into fists.

“Karna, I love you, and I—,” she shut her eyes tightly, slowly lowering herself until her forehead pressed near his collarbone, moving her hands to hold onto his shoulders as if he'd fade away if she let go, “I—I—I watched you die in America,” one of her hands slid down to press against his chest, to feel his heartbeat pounding against her palm, “Y—You were fighting Arjuna, because of _course_ you were, and—and Cú Alter just—he just stabbed you in the chest while you two were distracted and I—I _saw_ you bleed out while you died trying to save us and then you—you just told me goodbye and faded away...” she exhaled out a sob, “I—I thought you were _invincible_ for _so_ _long,_ there...there was _nothing_ that could hurt you, not even a little bit. B—But that was the first time wh—where it just _hit_ me that even _you_ can die...”

He touched his lips to hers, for just a moment, and heard her gasp sharply as he sat up. His arms coiled around her body, holding her close. She choked out a sob, and put her arms around his back and rested her chin on his shoulder.

“I—I know, I know it wasn't _you,_ but—but it _was_ you, but it—,” she buried her face in his neck, “I couldn't do anything! I can never do anything! I—I don't want to see any of my Servants die anymore. Karna, I...I don't want to have to see _you_ die again,” she clutched him, shaking her head, “I can't...I can't go through that again...Everyone else is _gone,_ and I can't lose you, too.”

He traced one of his hands up her back to rest in her hair, gently combing through her orange locks, feeling her beginning to relax against him.

“I've never been more blessed than I am right now, to have someone as wonderful as you care about a person like me so much. The amount of faith you have in me, Ritsuka, is more than I deserve,” he spoke softly against her skin, slightly damp with sweat, “...I'm sorry that you had to go through such a painful experience. But, as long as you want me here, I will not leave. I won't let the Throne hold me if you wish to have me here,” he pulled back, and cradled her head, touching his lips ever so gently against the lids of her eyes, “I promise—I'll stay by your side.”

He pressed a small kiss to her forehead, rubbing up and down her back.

She wrapped her arms tightly around his neck, her bare chest pressing firmly against his. He kissed previous marks left on her neck as her breathing began to even out.

“...Karna...” she sniffed, and held him tighter, “There is _nothing_ I could ever do to thank you enough—to thank all of you enough, for everything you do for me, but...thank you. Thank you, so, so much...” she finally looked at him, her lips quivering as she smiled at him, a few stray tears trailing down her cheeks, "I'll become a Master worthy of you, of all of you, I promise."

"You already are."

He held her head in his hands, and wiped her tears away. Even with her face blotchy and eyes red and puffy from crying, her hair a tangled, sweaty mess, he could not have looked at her with more adoration; there would never be another person as beautiful as her.

“I love you, Ritsuka,” He touched his lips to hers, for just a fleeting second, “...Just saying it doesn't feel like enough, but it is the truth.”

He pushed her hair behind her ears, and kissed her, feeling her lips part as soon as they touched. His breath caught in his throat as she lifted herself up, grabbing for one of his hands and linking their fingers together once more.

“Karna,” she whispered against his lips, “please...don't stop.”

She touched his cheek, and pulled him down on top of her, as if they'd never left off.

***

He wasn't sure how long he'd been laying awake, with Ritsuka's sleeping body pressed against him. At first he simply held her hand in his, before he noticed the plethora of teeth marks he had placed on her neck, and felt a pang of guilt. Softly, to try and not wake her, he pressed his lips against one of the redder indents on her neck apologetically.

She stirred regardless, and his arm wrapped around her midsection.

“...It seems I got carried away,” she placed her hand on top of his, “You're not in any pain, are you?”

“Not from anything I didn't want, no.”

She turned in his arms, resting her ear against his chest to listen to his strong and steady heartbeat, and she sighed, perfectly content.

“I don't want to move...you're so warm...” she snuggled further into him, “...but...now that I'm laying here with my thoughts, I'm realizing that there are...a lot of implications that I _did_ _not_ _think_ _through_ when I decided to sleep with you.”

Karna furrowed his eyebrows, “...Do you regr—.”

She quickly interrupted him, “No! No, of course I don't regret it! I don't want you to think that. But—,” she covered her hands with her face, a horrible realization sinking in, “wait oh my god how am I going to face Arjuna,” she curled in on herself, mortified, “He wanted me to rayshift to Rome with him tomorrow! How am I supposed to do that now?!” her cheeks grew hotter, “...These marks on my neck won't clear up by then and I don't have any Mystic Codes that will cover it all the way up...oh _noooo_...”

Karna closed his eyes, unbothered, “We were bound to come into conflict eventually.”

Ritsuka let out a distressed whine, _“Nooooo!”_

She furiously shook her head.

“And—And on top of _that,_ Kiyohime is gonna try and murder you,” she looked up at him, her face red, “I love you, and I don't regret what happened, but also, I just put myself into an awful, awful mess.”

“She, and for that matter, any other Servant here, is free to try,” he kissed the crown of her head, “A hundred Servants could come after me for this, and a hundred Servants will fail.”

Ritsuka reached for his hand, and intertwined their fingers together, “That was really sweet, but also, now that I'm...with someone, the Servants that Mom the hell out of me are going to start being really embarrassing, so be prepared for that, too.”

Karna tilted his head down at her, slightly confused, “...Embarrassing how? Being with you is the greatest luck I've ever had. There's nothing anyone here could say that would make me feel embarrassed about it.”

She pressed her face against his chest, face a deep red color.

“Y-You really just...” she sighed, and her shoulders fell, “I guess I'll just...deal with that nonsense one thing at a time...At least I don't have anything to really do today,” he placed his forehead against hers as she stared up at him, “Don't let my lazing about stop you if you were thinking about doing something. Even though you feel really nice, I don't want to keep you from anything.”

“I'm perfectly satisfied laying right here. I have no complaints with holding you like this for the whole day.”

Ritsuka laughed.

“Me too, honestly, but if I stay in bed all day I'm gonna get yelled at by at least five different people. Mash has the code to my room and she _will_ use it. But...if I can, I'd like to spend the day with you...” she smiled at him, and he leaned down to catch her lips in his own.

“What are you thinking?”

“Hm...” she wracked her brain, “I think all the simulators should be free toda—.” her eyes lit up as she looked at him, “Oh, I have an idea.”

He let go of her hand, and reached up, stroking her face lovingly, simply because he could.

“Whatever you want.”

She placed her hand on the back of his neck, and brought him down so she could kiss him.

“...Wanna show me how to ride an elephant?”

**Author's Note:**

> omake: arjuna receives a cake that says "sorry i'm sleeping with the brother you hate :(" written on it in icing
> 
> couple things:
> 
> \- karna's metal shit on his chest looks pointy as hell in his fgo art but for the sake of ritsuka's chest not getting punctured in my very soft self indulgent bullshit i imagine it's like just about all the way embedded in his skin so it might as well be flat; just bear with me on this 
> 
> \- i literally dont know if he can only remove his armor the one time to use vasavi shakti, like probably, but once again for the sake of ritsuka not getting stabbed with the foot long spikes on his arm, he can just take it on and off at will and has to invoke vasavi shakti with his armor off to use it, is how i see it. also you can just flip back and forth between ascensions in game so who cares about lore right now
> 
> \- i'm gonna be fucked if there's ever an actual like general map of chaldea because i was just making things up as i went along in terms of the layout
> 
> -if takeuchi won't give gudako pants then neither will i
> 
> -the gudas are explict palette swaps of rin and shirou with tweaked designs so i just stole rin's height to use for her since they dont actually have any given measurements
> 
> \- 320,536,365, i got a few open spaces so feel free to add me if u want but please god log in regularly if you do
> 
> anyway see you in another year for the next time i post a fic


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